The Municipal Chief Executive (MCE) for Ayawaso West Municipal Assembly Hon Dr. Michael Mensah, has led a massive two-day sanitation exercise in support of President John Dramani Mahama’s nationwide cleanup campaign aimed at preventing future flooding and improving environmental sanitation in affected regions.
The exercise forms part of a government-directed national response following the recent floods that swept through parts of the country, causing widespread destruction, displacing families and exposing weaknesses in waste management and drainage systems.
Leading the operation, the Ayawaso West MCE mobilized municipal workers, security personnel, community volunteers and sanitation teams to desilt gutters, clear clogged drains and remove accumulated waste from flood-prone communities. Trucks and heavy-duty equipment were deployed to transport sand, debris and refuse from affected areas to designated disposal sites.
Dr. Mensah described the exercise as a demonstration of the government’s determination to address the causes of flooding while promoting cleaner and healthier communities.
“This two-day exercise shows what we can achieve when government, security services and residents work together. We will continue this work until our drains are clear and our communities are safer from floods,” the MCE stated.
According to him, the teams concentrated on heavily affected communities, including Santana and surrounding areas, where drains and gutters were choked with sediments and waste. Excavated materials were immediately transported to approved landfill sites and transfer stations to prevent re-accumulation.
Dr. Mensah stressed that the cleanup exercise would not end after the two-day campaign, insisting that sustained sanitation efforts and public cooperation are critical to reducing flood risks.
He warned that the Assembly would intensify enforcement against indiscriminate waste disposal, illegal dumping and the construction of structures on waterways, noting that such practices continue to contribute significantly to flooding in urban communities.
The nationwide cleanup campaign also received support from the private sector. Chief Executive Officer of Petroleum Hub Development Corporation, Dr. Tony Aubynn Obeng, urged Ghanaians to complement government efforts by changing harmful environmental practices.
Speaking during the exercise, Dr. Obeng said recurring floods are largely driven by two factors: poor drainage engineering and irresponsible human behaviour, particularly the dumping of refuse into gutters and the encroachment on drainage channels.
“For now, we must all get together and clear what we can,” he said, adding that while behavioural change is urgently needed, the country must also invest in long-term drainage infrastructure upgrades.
He called for stricter enforcement of sanitation regulations and penalties against individuals and developers whose actions increase flood risks, stressing that protecting lives should take precedence over the cost of infrastructure improvements.
Meanwhile, Registrar of Births and Deaths, Samuel Adom Botchway, also joined staff members, assembly personnel, police officers and military personnel in a mission-wide cleanup exercise as part of the national campaign.
Registrar Botchway personally participated in clearing refuse and unblocking drains, saying the exercise was a direct response to President Mahama’s call for collective action following the floods.
“We will clean here and make sure that every place is clear, so that when it rains again, we don’t have any kind of flood in our area again,” he said.
He emphasized the importance of leadership by example and pledged that regular cleaning routines would be instituted at registry facilities and public spaces to sustain the gains made during the exercise.
The nationwide sanitation campaign, which involved Metropolitan, Municipal and District Assemblies (MMDAs), security agencies and government institutions across flood-affected regions, is expected to continue with periodic cleanups, drain inspections and public education programmes.
Government officials say the initiative forms part of a broader strategy to strengthen disaster preparedness, improve sanitation standards and reduce the devastating impact of floods on lives, property and businesses.
Residents have been urged to support the campaign by avoiding the dumping of waste into drains, reporting sanitation offences to local authorities and actively participating in National Sanitation Day activities held on the first Saturday of every month.
Story by Osman Issah Abadoo
