The District Chief Executive (DCE) for Afigya Kwabre South, Hon. Patricia Pearl Ankrah, has disclosed that about 200 residents in the district are expected to be arraigned before court for various sanitation-related offences.
According to the DCE, environmental health officials were deployed to inspect areas where the exercise had earlier taken place and subsequently identified individuals who had violated sanitation regulations.
Hon. Ankrah explained that the Assembly derives no pleasure in prosecuting residents but stressed that enforcement of sanitation laws is necessary to promote a clean, healthy, and safe environment. She therefore urged residents to adhere strictly to sanitation by-laws to avoid facing legal action.
The DCE emphasized that the clean-up exercise is a collective responsibility and called for massive community participation. She cautioned residents that follow-up inspections would always be conducted after such exercises and warned that anyone found culpable would face the full rigours of the law.
The clean-up exercise brought together residents of Hemang to remove accumulated refuse, clear choked drains to prevent flooding, and undertake other environmental sanitation activities aimed at improving public health.
Some community members who spoke during the exercise commended the DCE and her team for their commitment to sanitation enforcement. They supported the prosecution of offenders, describing it as a necessary deterrent that would encourage residents to keep their surroundings clean.
Other participants appealed to the authorities to provide adequate sanitation logistics and waste disposal materials to enable effective waste management. There were also calls for stricter enforcement of sanitation laws, particularly against drivers who indiscriminately litter the environment, to help rid the district of filth.
