Editorial
Let’s pay attention to sanitation
Globally, poor sanitation is not healthy for the socio-economic development of any community, and for this reason, we would have to do all we can to prevent such unfortunate situation.
Indeed, poor sanitation brings about ill health and it is in view of this that no effort should be spared to ensure that we pay due attention to it.
We do not need to remind anyone that poor sanitary conditions are detrimental to the future survival of our community as we spend huge sums of money going to health centres for treatment; aside squandering precious time that could have been used to encourage productivity within the community.
In addition, when people fall sick, they feel very uncomfortable. The discomfort they go through hugely affect their rate of work and draw back the level of productivity within the community.
In light of all this, there is the need for society to pay attention to sanitation and prevent poor sanitary conditions that weigh us down as people who thirst for rapid socio-economic development.
The Clean Your Frontage campaign launched by the Greater Accra Regional Minister, Mr Henry Quartey, in Accra is a move that should be supported by all and sundry. If for nothing at all, it is said “cleanliness is next to godliness”, so keeping our environment clean should be encouraged at all times.
It is good that some officers have been trained to go round the various communities to ensure that the exercise of cleanliness is carried out to the letter and obeyed in all parts of the Greater Accra Region – and Ghana as a whole.
The Spectator supports this programme that is why it is devoting another editorial to support the sensitisation of keeping the environment clean in the national capital, Accra.
Officers of the Response Team should keep their nose to the grindstone and live up to expectation by ensuring that those who go contrary to the by-laws are made to face the consequences in terms of penalty.
If this is done, diseases can be brought under control and choked gutters would also be free from filth to enable the gutters remain as clean as possible. Upshot of this is that, the free flow of water in the gutters will make it impossible for mosquitoes to lay eggs and cause havoc in form of Malaria to the people.
It has been pointed out already, it is incumbent upon everybody in the country to support the Operation Clean Your Frontage campaign for good quality health and socio-economic development.
Dear Editor,
I AM writing to draw your attention to the inadequate street lights in some parts of Wawase, a situation that continues to pose serious concerns for residents.
Street lights play a crucial role in ensuring safety and security within a community. Unfortunately, several areas in Wawase are completely without functioning street lights.
This has made movement at night very difficult and dangerous, especially for workers, students, and traders who return home late.
The lack of proper lighting has also created an enabling environment for criminal activities such as theft and harassment. Residents often live in fear, and some are forced to limit their movements after dark. Additionally, poor visibility increases the risk of road accidents, putting both pedestrians and drivers at risk.
It is concerning that despite the growing population and development in Wawase, this basic infrastructure issue remains unresolved.
I would like to appeal to the relevant authorities, including the local assembly and electricity providers, to urgently address this problem by installing new street lights and repairing faulty ones.
Ensuring adequate street lights will not only improve security but also enhance the overall quality of life for residents in the area.
Gwen Mensah, Agona Swedru
Dear Editor,
FOR some time now, I have been deeply concerned about the state of the Kaneshie footbridge, which has over the years developed cracks, exposing some rusted metal parts and raising safety concerns.
It is, therefore, welcome news for daily users of the facility like myself that a team from the Accra Metropolitan Assembly (AMA), led by the Metropolitan Chief Executive (MCE), visited the facility and announced a temporary closure to allow for maintenance work to be carried out.
While I wish to commend the Assembly for the move, I believe it has been long overdue.
I often find it difficult to understand why, as a country, we sit, wait, and watch for preventable incidents or tragedies to happen before we react. I say this because the issue of the bad state of the Kaneshie footbridge has been one that has been re-echoed by many who use it on a daily basis.
I believe that as the Assembly looks to start the maintenance works on the footbridge, it is also important for it and other Metropolitan, Municipal, and District Assemblies (MMDAs) to pay attention to other footbridges across the country that are in a similar state.
The time has come for Ghana, as a country, to be more proactive than reactive.
I will also urge the assemblies to deploy their respective teams to always check on footbridges across the country to ensure that they are in good shape to avoid any tragedy that could lead to the loss of human lives.
From Fafa, Kaneshie
