Regional News of Sunday, 23 November 2003

Source: gna

Involve sachet water, polythene producers in plastics disposal

Accra, Nov. 23, GNA - Mr. Isaac Bright Assah, Assembly member for New Mamprobi, on Saturday urged producers of sachet water, polythene bags and rubber products to get more involved in the disposal of waste made of mainly plastic materials, if Accra and other cities should attain the desired level of sanitation.

He said the rate at which the environment was being littered with polythene materials was so alarming that unless worthwhile measures were taken "gutters will continue to choke, malaria will continue to have its toll on the people, and the tourism industry ship-wrecked."

Addressing some residents after a clean-up exercise at Banana Inn in Accra, he blamed the people for being the worst offenders as they littered everywhere and cared little for the cleanliness of the environment, adding that it was not the work of the assembly member alone to ensure environmental cleanliness.

He appealed to the Accra Metropolitan Assembly (AMA) to provide equipment like wheelbarrows rakes and shovels to aid clean-up exercises in the future. Mr. Assah thanked the government for the on -going drainage constructions in his electoral area and appealed to NGOs and the well-to-do in the area to fund the construction of the seven foot bridges that had broken down completely making accessibility of some places in the area very difficult.

To those who thought it was only money that one can contribute to the development of ones area, Mr Assah said, the biggest contributions one could bequeath posterity were ideas and appealed to the youth to seek wisdom in all their endeavour.

Mr Owusu Sarpong, an opinion leader in the area urged the people to assist the assembly member to bring development to the area.