The Municipal Chief Executive for Bolgatanga, Roland Atanga Ayoo, has announced plans to extend the National Sanitation Day exercise beyond the central business areas to the outskirts of the municipality as part of efforts to keep the municipality clean and healthy.
He made this known over the weekend during a mass cleanup exercise held in Bolgatanga, which brought together personnel from the Ghana Armed Forces, students of Bolgatanga Girls Senior High School and Bolgatanga Central Technical Institute, Zoomlion workers, assembly members, staff of the Bolgatanga Municipal Assembly, and traders.
The National Sanitation Day exercise, which takes place on the first Saturday of every month, was described by the MCE as one of the biggest and most strategic cleanups organised in recent times.
“Let me admit that this is not only the biggest, but a very strategic one,” Mr Ayoo said. “Last month, we could not do a similar exercise because of the Christmas and New Year festivities. So we felt that if we were going to have this one, it should be massive and well planned.”
According to him, the assembly deliberately mobilised key groups within the municipality to ensure effective coverage of major areas.
“We put our thoughts together and decided that we needed to use students, the military, market women, Zoomlion workers and others. That is the reason behind the mood you see today,” he explained.
Mr Ayoo noted that participants were divided into three main groups, each assigned to specific locations to ensure efficiency.
“We are working in pockets. While some are on the main streets, others are at the lorry station and the new market. That is the thinking behind today’s programme,” he said.
When asked about the success of the exercise, the MCE expressed satisfaction with the turnout and level of participation. Touching on sustainability, Mr Ayoo said the assembly intends to decentralise future exercises by moving into the outskirts while maintaining monitoring teams within the township.
“Instead of always concentrating in town, the next exercise will move to the outskirts. It will take a rotational approach. Even when we move out, there will be monitoring teams in town to check what is happening,” he said.
He further proposed that institutions and residents take personal responsibility for keeping their surroundings clean.
“I want a situation where on every first Saturday of the month, workers in government bungalows mobilise themselves to clean their surroundings. The police, the fire service, the military and individuals in their homes should also do the same. When that happens, sanitation becomes a collective responsibility,” he added.
Mr Ayoo, however, acknowledged challenges with compliance, noting that some traders deliberately refuse to participate in cleanup exercises.
“When you ask people not to open their shops, some will deliberately stay away and come after the exercise to open,” he said.
To address this, the MCE disclosed that a sanitation task force has been put in place to enforce compliance.
“We will be taking measures to sanction people. If your shop is open during the exercise, it will be locked and you will report to the assembly. If your shop is locked and the surroundings are dirty, we will also take action,” he warned.
He stressed that enforcement would help change attitudes toward sanitation in the municipality. Mr Ayoo also revealed that new sanitation by-laws are expected to be rolled out soon.
“Very soon, our sanitation by-laws will be out. When they are out and you fail to comply, the necessary sanctions will be invoked. That will be the way forward,” he said.
A1 Radio | 101.1Mhz | Joshua Asaah | Bolgatanga
