The Minister for Local Government, Rural Development and Decentralization (MLGRD), Dan Kwaku Botwe has asked the various assemblies to enforce sanitation by-laws to help rid the country of filth.
He said they can also make their laws as well.
His comments come on the back of a tour he embarked on to the various landfill sites in Accra.
He said the country can be cleaned if the Metropolitan, Municipal and District Assemblies (MMDAs) without fear or favour apply the laws to the letter.
“The assemblies have by-law, and they can also make their own laws as well to make sure the cities are clean. We continue to urge them to put in place sanctions because when there is filth in the communities, it has a great effect on our health.”
“The MMDAs need to take charge of cleanliness in communities and cities; and it is our duty to make sure they take sanitation as their top priority. Any assembly that doesn’t see sanitation as a priority will be sanctioned.”
With regard to the provisions of transfer stations in Accra to reduce the turnaround time for the trucks that will take the filth to landfill sites, the minister assured that these stations will be ready in due time.
“Even if you will sanction someone for doing the wrong thing, you have to first make it easy for them to do the right thing, then when they flout, you can sanction them. Hence, the transfer sites will be ready so that the tricycles can easily access them.”
The Greater Accra Regional Minister, Henry Quartey has begun a motion; Operation Clean Your Frontage, in the quest to make Accra Work, making it the cleanest city in Ghana.
The Minister banned tricycles from using the highways for reasons that their pace is too slow, and that they liter the street with filth.
This decision of his was battled against as the rubbish collectors argued that the highways, particularly the motorway, is the only route they can use to reach the dumping site at Kpone which is the only one that can house a lot of refuse.
The Ministry hence assured that more dumping sites will be made available and very much operational to help see this course succeed.
Source: Modern Ghana
