President John Dramani Mahama has urged Ghanaians to stop the reckless dumping of refuse in drains, warning that the practice continues to worsen flooding across the country.
Speaking during the two-day National Clean-Up Exercise at the Alajo drain and Tse Addo on Friday, July 10, President Mahama said the desilting exercise had exposed the scale of plastic pollution and years of accumulated silt in major waterways.
“Look at the plastics that we are taking out of it,” he said, adding that “it means this has been silted for so many years. So it reduces the capacity of the drain to carry water.”
The National Clean-Up Exercise was introduced following the devastating June 29 floods that claimed more than a dozen lives, destroyed properties and displaced several families across Greater Accra and other parts of the country.
President Mahama also called for the proper disposal of dredged materials and proposed monthly clean-up exercises to help keep cities clean and reduce flooding.
“At least once a month, let’s set aside one day, and all of us come out and clean the city,” he urged.
He further disclosed that the military and other security services would continue dredging major waterways to improve drainage and reduce future flooding risks.
The exercise is being organised under the auspices of the Post-Flood Mitigation Committee and is being held under the theme: “Our Actions, Our Future: Cleaning Ghana after the floods.”
The nationwide initiative is bringing together government officials, security agencies, local authorities, civil society organisations and residents to improve environmental sanitation and prevent future flooding incidents.
