Ghana on Friday, July 10, commenced a nationwide General Clean-up Exercise aimed at restoring sanitation conditions, clearing blocked drains and reducing the risk of future flooding following the devastating June 29 floods.
The exercise, organised under the auspices of the Post-Flood Mitigation Committee, was held across seven flood-affected regions, with government officials, security agencies, Metropolitan, Municipal and District Assemblies (MMDAs), waste management companies and volunteers joining efforts to clear waste and desilt drainage channels.
In Accra, President John Dramani Mahama joined residents of Tse Addo and other stakeholders to participate in the exercise, where he personally helped to desilt a clogged drain. The President said the exercise had exposed the extent to which poor waste disposal practices had contributed to flooding challenges.
He also cautioned against leaving removed silt and waste along roadsides after clean-up activities, explaining that rainfall could wash the materials back into drainage systems and undermine the exercise.
The Vice President, Professor Jane Naana Opoku-Agyemang, also joined residents in the Nungua area for the exercise, where she called for a change in sanitation habits and greater public responsibility in protecting the environment.
She said many environmental challenges facing the country were linked to human actions, particularly improper waste disposal.
