TNMA KICKS OFF NATIONAL SANITATION DAY WITH MAIDEN CLEAN-UP EXERCISE

The Tarkwa Nsuaem Municipal Assembly in the Western Region at the weekend kicked off the National Sanitation Day with the maiden clean-up exercise.

Security personnel, traders, drivers and workers of Zoomlion, a waste collection and sanitation company, among others, took part in the exercise, which started at 0630 hours and ended at 1000 hours.

The participants swept along the roadside weeded, desilted chocked gutters and collected waste at the Tarkwa Main Bus Terminal and Railway Station. Shops and businesses located within Tarkwa also closed temporarily to back the sanitation initiative.

Addressing journalist after the exercise, Mr Ebenezer Cobbinah, Municipal Chief Executive (MCE) for Tarkwa Nsuaem, stated that the programme was intended to be nationwide, but they would not wait for official endorsement to start the clean-up exercise.

He said: “Today’s initiative is a good start, although it’s our first attempt, let us maintain this positive practice because cleanliness is next to godliness”. Mr Cobbinah tasked residents and corporate bodies to participate fully in the monthly exercise to help keep the municipality clean and prevent the outbreak of any diseases.

He further advised the Environmental Health and Sanitation Unit in the municipality to enforce its by-laws on cleanliness to ensure that their efforts would not be in vain. “The Tarkwa Railway station is in a terrible state; the scenes we witnessed there were heart-breaking. I just assume Office, and have discussed this with my coordinating director, and so I believe the assembly will make a holistic decision on the matter”, the MCE added.

Mr Alex Damptey, the Municipal Environmental Health Officer, explained that the National Sanitation Day, which had been inactive for a while, had been brought back by the current government. He said although the programme was set to commerce nationwide on May 3,2025, Tarkwa Nsuaem Municipal Assembly was granted approval from the Western Regional Minister to proceed due to advance preparations.

Additionally, Mr Damptey said with the assistance of the MCE, Member of Parliament for Tarkwa Nsuaem constituency and traditional leaders, they mobilized residents to take part in the exercise to create a healthier environment which would boost the local economy and benefit all.

He noted that, “The turnout is quite encouraging because we have had a break from communal labour for years. I am confident that the next clean-up scheduled for the last Saturday of this month will be better”. The Municipal Environmental Health Officer emphasised that some individuals who failed to participate in the exercise would be prosecuted to serve as an example and deter others.