The Minister for Works and Housing, Samuel Atta Akyea, has urged Ghanaians particularly residents of Koforidua in the New Juaben South Municipality and its environs to maintain a clean environment and desist from throwing garbage into gutters and drains within the municipality, as it frustrates efforts to address the perennial flooding in the municipality in particular and the country as a whole.
The Minister made this statement to a cross section of the media, after he joined the people of New Juaben North and South municipal to undertake a voluntary cleanup exercise at Koforidua in the Eastern Region.
Some residents of the municipality especially those that live in flood-prone areas often encounter difficulties during the rainy season, with the rains destroying valuable properties and in some cases leading to deaths.
For this reason, some drains located within the 2 municipalities which are flood prone were desilted ahead of the rains over the weekend.
The clean up exercise saw the minister of works and housing together with the ministry’s officials join in the cleanup, that saw the municipal chief executives, chiefs, NADMO officials, workers from the zoom lion company, market women, drivers, community members among others, desilt choked gutters and drains to contain the threats of flood within the municipality.
Samuel Atta Akyea, used the occasion to urge all to desist from throwing garbage into drains as it rolls back progress, to address issues with perennial flooding.
He said resources to desilt choked drains and gutters could be used to accelerate development in other sectors to the benefit of the community.
He noted that going forward as a country, as part of their measures as ministry, it has become a necessity for government to do sub-terrain drains to re-engineer the drainage systems in the country.
He therefore entreated the municipal chief executives of New Juaben North and South assemblies to enforce the by-laws.
The MCE for New Juaben South, Isaac Apau-Gyasi, lauded the minister for his support and for personally coming to the municipalities to visualize the perennial challenges they face.
He stressed on the need to use the by-laws to apprehend and prosecute persons flouting the regulations.
He expressed worry about the volume of plastic waste dumped into gutters when it rains and cautioned the general public to desist from such behaviors.
Samuel Attah Akyea and his entourage also toured some communities including Effiduase-Asokore, Asokore-Zongo, Oyenka-Highways, Fire Service Lane, Nsukwah, Prince-Buateng Round About, Klu-Town Communty, Zion and Apempoa Area, Sentimental, Bonya, and Eridek culverts to ascertain the challenges that needs to be addressed as a matter of urgency.
By:Isaac Clottey
