THE Minister of Sanitation and Water Resources, Cecilia Abena Dapaah, yesterday toured some municipalities in Accra to ascertain the level of hygiene in the areas.
It was also to dialogue with market women on how government could assist them with tools to ensure cleanliness and also to curb the menace of cholera outbreak.
The municipalities included Ga West, Ga North, Okaikwei North and Ayawaso Central.
The minister also toured some water stations in the area and urged managers of the facilities to ensure they filtered the water properly before selling to the public.
Interacting with some market women at the Abeka and Amasaman markets during the tour, Madam Dapaah advised them to inculcate the habit of keeping their wares and surroundings clean to ensure their merchandise were free of any form of contamination.
She bemoaned situations where food vendors sold food near unclean open gutters and urged persons guilty of such acts to desist from the practice.
The Minister was, however, impressed with the level of cleanliness at the Amasaman market and encouraged occupants to continue with the good deed.
“We all have roles to play to support the President to realise his ambition of making Accra the cleanest city in Africa. Let us continue to keep our surroundings clean and report people who deliberately create filth around us to the authorities.
Indiscriminate dumping of refuse is also against the law. Let us promote healthy living by being hygienic,” she advised.
As part of the tour, Madam Dapaah and her delegation paid a courtesy call on the National Chief Imam, Sheikh Nuhu Sharubutu to inform him about her presence in the municipality and also solicit for support from the office of the National Chief Imam (ONCI) in the fight against insanitary conditions in the country.
Sheikh Sharubutu expressed gratitude to the minister and her entourage for the visit and promised to use his outfit to educate the public on the need to promote cleanliness.
Uncleanliness, he said, caused the spread of diseases and even death adding that it was very important for the public to have a change of attitude to prevent the spread of diseases.
He commended the minister for her efforts and assured of his outfit’s readiness to help combat insanitary conditions in the country.
BY RAIISSA SAMBOU
