Seven people have been arrested in the Ekumfi District of the Central Region for allegedly refusing to participate in the National Sanitation Day exercise and continuing to operate their businesses during the clean-up campaign.
The suspects were arrested at Ekumfi Essuehyia and Ekumpoano after police officers deployed to enforce compliance found them operating their shops while the exercise was underway.
The District Chief Executive for Ekumfi, Nana Ismeal Asamoah, said the exercise was a collective responsibility and warned that authorities would continue to strictly enforce sanitation regulations to ensure compliance.
He stressed that poor waste disposal practices and choked drains remain major causes of flooding in many communities and urged residents to actively support sanitation initiatives.
The arrests come as Ghana observes a two-day National General Cleaning Exercise declared by President John Dramani Mahama for Friday, July 10, and Saturday, July 11, 2026, in response to the devastating floods that affected seven regions following torrential rains on June 29.
The nationwide exercise, being coordinated by the Post-Flood Mitigation Committee under the theme “Our Actions, Our Future: Cleaning Ghana after the floods,” aims to clear choked drains, clean public spaces and improve environmental sanitation to reduce the risk of future flooding.
