Seven individuals have been arrested in the Ekumfi District of the Central Region for allegedly refusing to participate in the nationwide National Sanitation Day exercise and continuing to operate their businesses during the mandatory clean-up campaign.
The arrests were made on Friday July 10, during the National Sanitation Day exercise, which brought together residents across communities in the district to clean streets, markets, gutters, drains and other public spaces as part of efforts to improve environmental sanitation and reduce the risk of flooding.
According to district authorities, the seven suspects were found conducting business while the clean-up exercise was underway instead of joining other residents in the community service.
Their actions were deemed a violation of directives requiring community participation in the sanitation exercise.
To ensure full compliance, police officers were deployed to various communities across the district to monitor participation and enforce the directive.
The suspects were arrested at Ekumfi Essuehyia and Ekumpoano after they allegedly ignored repeated calls to suspend their business activities and participate in the exercise.
Speaking to the media, the Ekumfi District Chief Executive (DCE), Hon. Nana Ismeal Asamoah, stressed that the National Sanitation Day initiative should not be viewed as a government programme alone but as a shared national responsibility that demands the active involvement of every citizen.
He noted that poor sanitation practices, indiscriminate disposal of waste and choked drains remain major causes of flooding in many parts of the country, making it essential for residents to embrace regular clean-up exercises and maintain clean surroundings.
According to the DCE, his administration will continue to enforce sanitation regulations while intensifying public education on environmental cleanliness.
He cautioned that individuals who deliberately refuse to comply with sanitation directives would face the full rigours of the law.
Hon. Asamoah expressed optimism that sustained enforcement, coupled with community participation, would help create cleaner communities and significantly reduce sanitation-related challenges in the district.
Also addressing the media, the Central Regional Director of the National Apprenticeship Programme, Mr. Ebenezer Abeiku Essian, commended residents who actively participated in the exercise and urged especially the youth to make environmental cleanliness a daily habit rather than limiting it to designated clean-up days.
He further appealed to government agencies and relevant authorities to take decisive action against illegal structures erected on waterways, noting that such developments obstruct the natural flow of water and contribute to the perennial flooding experienced in many communities across the country.
Mr. Essian emphasised that although periodic clean-up exercises are important, they must be complemented by strict enforcement of planning regulations, proper waste management and the demolition of structures built on watercourses to provide lasting solutions to Ghana’s sanitation and flooding challenges.
The National Sanitation Day exercise forms part of broader government efforts to improve public hygiene, promote environmental responsibility and minimise the devastating effects of flooding through community participation and strict enforcement of sanitation laws.
Story by Yaw Boagyan.
