The Assembly Member for Afiadenyigba Ablame Dziehe Electoral Area, Gabriel Kwabla Kuatsikor, has appealed to the government, organisations, and individuals to support his community in addressing long-standing sanitation challenges, particularly open defecation.
He noted that the people of Afiadenyigba have now formalised community-wide clean-up exercises, with chiefs and elders introducing bylaws to enforce participation. According to him, residents who refuse to take part in clean-up activities will be sanctioned and, if necessary, prosecuted.
Despite the enthusiasm, Mr. Kuatsikor lamented the lack of basic tools and logistics, which he said hampers effective sanitation work. He therefore called on the Municipal Assemblies and other stakeholders to provide resources such as waste bins, shovels, and protective equipment.
On the pressing issue of open defecation, the Assembly Member described it as “a major health threat” to the community, contaminating water bodies and endangering both human life and aquatic species. He called for the provision of household toilets, even on a cost-sharing basis, to reduce the practice by at least 50 per cent.
“We are also planning to have bins for animals, especially pigs, so that they don’t roam the streets and worsen the sanitation situation. Clean surroundings must be our priority,” he stressed.
Mr. Kuatsikor further urged community members to adopt simple practices such as digging and covering small pits for temporary waste disposal, while also encouraging the exploration of plastic recycling to reduce pollution and create sustainable solutions.
He expressed optimism that with collective effort, the people of Afiadenyigba can build one of the cleanest environments in Ghana.
By: Daniel Orlando/newsalertgh.com
