The Municipal Chief Executive (MCE) for the Adentan Municipal Assembly, Hon. Ella Esinam Christine Nongo, has praised residents for their enthusiastic participation in the government’s two-day national clean-up exercise, describing the response as a strong demonstration of civic responsibility in the wake of the June 29 floods.
Speaking after the clean-up exercise on Friday, the MCE said the initiative, ordered by President John Dramani Mahama following the devastating floods that left large amounts of silt and waste in drainage systems, received overwhelming public support despite the short notice.
“The exercise was very involving. People were very willing to come out, to the surprise of all of us, because we thought that due to the short notice we would not have many participants. But everybody took it upon themselves as a call to duty to do his or her own part,” she said.
According to Hon. Nongo, the positive response gives confidence that residents will continue to support the President’s vision of making sanitation a regular national responsibility, particularly with plans for community clean-up exercises on the first Saturday of every month.
She stressed that flooding affects everyone regardless of political affiliation, urging citizens to see sanitation as a shared responsibility.
“Flood doesn’t know any political colour. Flood doesn’t know green, neither does it know blue. You don’t know that one rubber that you pick from the gutter will save somebody’s house from flooding,” she stated.
The MCE encouraged residents to embrace sanitation as a continuous civic duty, saying communities should not wait for government directives before keeping their surroundings clean.
She disclosed that the Assembly enforced the President’s directive restricting commercial activities during the clean-up exercise, with enforcement officers seizing goods from shops that remained open.
“A few shops were open, but what we did was seize most of their items. Those who want their items back will have to come, apologise and pay a fine before they are released. Those who do not return, we will donate the seized items to an orphanage,” she said.
Although Adentan was spared significant flooding during the June 29 downpour, Ms. Nongo said the municipality participated fully in the exercise because every community generates waste and remains vulnerable to the effects of flooding elsewhere.
She attributed Adentan’s relatively flood-free experience to proactive measures undertaken by the Assembly, including extensive desilting and dredging of drains as well as the demolition of structures obstructing waterways.
“We desilted and dredged most of our gutters and demolished a few buildings on waterways. I believe those measures made it possible for us to enjoy a flood-free day on June 29,” she noted.
