The Chief of Yagaba in the Mamprugu Moagduri District of the North East Region, Naa Bigamso Salifu, has called on the government to deploy sanitation inspection officers to communities to ensure strict enforcement of environmental sanitation regulations.
The chief appealed at a community-wide cleanup exercise led by traditional authorities and the District Chief Executive (DCE), Abdul Aziz Abdul Rahman, to improve sanitation and promote environmental cleanliness.
The exercise comes in the aftermath of severe flooding that ravaged parts of the district capital and other major communities, including Kubori.
It brought together security personnel, local government officials, youth groups, community members and other stakeholders, who cleared refuse, desilted gutters, cut weeds and removed debris from public spaces and major areas within the communities.
The initiative forms part of efforts to encourage residents to take greater responsibility for maintaining a clean and healthy environment.
The Yagaba chief urged residents to make sanitation a daily responsibility rather than relying solely on periodic communal labour exercises.
He appealed to the government to deploy sanitation inspection officers to conduct regular inspections and ensure compliance with environmental regulations.
“I respectfully suggest to the government to employ officers who will go from village to village and house to house to ensure that people maintain a clean environment. Nowadays, people do not readily volunteer for communal service, and without some measure of enforcement, it is often difficult to get them to do the right thing,” he said.
On the recurring flooding problem, the chief appealed for an expansion of the town’s drainage system to improve water flow and reduce the impact of heavy rains.
“We thank the government for the construction of the gutters, but I also appeal for them to be expanded to help mitigate the effects of flooding,” he added.
‘We will deal with you’ — Environmental officer warns
The District Environmental Officer, Azindow Joseph Zakaria, commended the district assembly for securing the gazetting of its sanitation bylaws, which he said would provide a legal basis for enforcing environmental regulations.
He said his outfit had also undertaken extensive public education campaigns to sensitise residents to the bylaws and their implications.
“We are now going round to sensitise the public that Mamprugu Moagduri has gazetted bylaws, and the district court is also operational,” Mr Zakaria said.
He warned that residents who failed to comply with the regulations would face legal action.
“Our intention is not to take people to court, but if you flout the law, we will deal with you,” he cautioned.
Mr Zakaria identified open defecation as one of the district’s major sanitation challenges and called for concerted efforts by traditional authorities, local government officials and residents to address the practice.
Assembly prepares to enforce sanitation bylaws
The District Coordinating Director, Issahaku Yakubu, who coordinated the exercise, described it as successful and effective, expressing appreciation to traditional leaders and other stakeholders for their cooperation.
He said the exercise was particularly significant because it coincided with the observance of Global Sanitation Day and the first Saturday of the month, when districts across the country are expected to undertake communal cleanup activities as part of the government’s National Sanitation Day initiative.
The Coordinating Director disclosed that plans were advanced to begin enforcing the district’s sanitation bylaws across all 48 communities.
According to him, the assembly was collaborating with the National Commission for Civic Education (NCCE), the Information Services Department and other stakeholders to intensify public education and engagement ahead of the full implementation of the regulations.
He added that the assembly had retooled its sub-district structures, including area councils, to strengthen monitoring and enforcement.
The DCE, Abdul Rahman, also called for greater community participation in sanitation activities, urging residents to dispose of waste properly and keep their surroundings clean.
“We should be able to make Mamprugu Moagduri one of the cleanest districts in the North East Region. We will therefore deepen our collaboration and engagement with relevant stakeholders to ensure that this is achieved,” he said.
DCE unhappy with participation in Yezesi
Apart from the district capital, Mr Rahman inspected the cleanup exercises in Kubori and Yezesi.
At Yezesi, he expressed dissatisfaction with the poor participation of residents and urged community members to demonstrate greater commitment to sanitation.
During a meeting with the chief, the DCE reiterated the assembly’s intention to begin enforcing the sanitation bylaws and appealed to traditional authorities to support the process.
The chief, in response, called on the assembly to empower traditional authorities to enable them to play a more effective role in enforcing sanitation regulations within their communities.
Mr Rahman also attributed the recurring flooding in the district capital partly to choked gutters and the accumulation of refuse, which obstruct the free flow of water.
He, however, blamed flooding in Loagri and Kubori partly on ongoing road construction works, adding that measures were being taken to address the problem.
The authorities appealed to residents to sustain the momentum generated by the cleanup exercise by adopting proper sanitation practices and supporting initiatives aimed at keeping their communities clean.
The assembly says regular communal labour, intensified public education and the enforcement of sanitation bylaws will be central to its efforts to improve environmental health across the district.