Pronet clean up (pg 30)
PROFESSIONAL Network Association (Pronet)a non-governmental organisation (NGO), in collaboration with some youth groups in the Nima East Electoral area over the weekend organised a clean up exercise at Nima 441 and its immediate surroundings as part of its integrated water and environmental improvement project.
The three-hour exercise had officials of Pronet and some opinion leaders supervising the youth and a few elderly people as they swept and de-silted drains heavily choked with plastic bags, pure water sachets, left-over food and human excreta.
Speaking to the Daily Graphic, the Nima Project Co-ordinator, Ms Mercy Ansabah said Pronet with financial support from the Community Health Foundation (CHF) identified Nima as one of the communities in Accra that needed water, health and sanitation interventions.
Her outfit she stated did not only engage the youth in the community to clean the environment but also provide employment avenues for them through the provision of equipment that would enable them to function as door-to-door refuse collectors.
She noted that through interactions with members of the community, indications were that even though the residents were aware of the health implications of improper waste disposal, the non-existence of a refuse container in the area had led to the disposal of rubbish in the drains.
A resident, Mr Suraj Issakah, urged the Accra Metropolitan Assembly (AMA) to reintroduce the sanitation inspectors concept to make people more responsible to waste disposal.
The Secretary of the Nima 441 Welfare Association, Mr Hidir Ibrahim, said even though the group together with religious organisations had used different forums to educate the people on the need for proper waste disposal, the initiative had been fruitless because there was no dumping site in the community.
Mr Ibrahim urged the Accra Metropolitan Assembly to be proactive in responding to the needs of residents by providing tools to work with during clean up exercises as well as help dispose of the refuse collected.
When these concerns were put before the assembly man for the area Mr Shareau Tajudeen, he said the lack of space coupled with the AMA not enforcing its bye-laws contributed largely to the problem.
Mr Tajudeen, however stated that there is an effort in the pipeline to provide the community with smaller containers to help contain the situation.
The three-hour exercise had officials of Pronet and some opinion leaders supervising the youth and a few elderly people as they swept and de-silted drains heavily choked with plastic bags, pure water sachets, left-over food and human excreta.
Speaking to the Daily Graphic, the Nima Project Co-ordinator, Ms Mercy Ansabah said Pronet with financial support from the Community Health Foundation (CHF) identified Nima as one of the communities in Accra that needed water, health and sanitation interventions.
Her outfit she stated did not only engage the youth in the community to clean the environment but also provide employment avenues for them through the provision of equipment that would enable them to function as door-to-door refuse collectors.
She noted that through interactions with members of the community, indications were that even though the residents were aware of the health implications of improper waste disposal, the non-existence of a refuse container in the area had led to the disposal of rubbish in the drains.
A resident, Mr Suraj Issakah, urged the Accra Metropolitan Assembly (AMA) to reintroduce the sanitation inspectors concept to make people more responsible to waste disposal.
The Secretary of the Nima 441 Welfare Association, Mr Hidir Ibrahim, said even though the group together with religious organisations had used different forums to educate the people on the need for proper waste disposal, the initiative had been fruitless because there was no dumping site in the community.
Mr Ibrahim urged the Accra Metropolitan Assembly to be proactive in responding to the needs of residents by providing tools to work with during clean up exercises as well as help dispose of the refuse collected.
When these concerns were put before the assembly man for the area Mr Shareau Tajudeen, he said the lack of space coupled with the AMA not enforcing its bye-laws contributed largely to the problem.
Mr Tajudeen, however stated that there is an effort in the pipeline to provide the community with smaller containers to help contain the situation.
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