Regional News of Friday, 2 June 2023

Source: Yaw Acheampong, Contributor

Minister for Sanitation and Water Resources inspects water treatment plant

The durbar organised after the inspection of the water treatment plant The durbar organised after the inspection of the water treatment plant

The Ministry of Sanitation and Water Resources, Cecilia Abena Dapaah, in collaboration with the Birim Central Municipal Assembly and Member of Parliament for Akyem Oda Constituency have inspected the water treatment plant at Ada, a suburb of Akim Oda.

The purpose of the inspection was to make government assess situation of the said plant, the Birim River, among others.

After inspection of the said plant, a mini durbar was held at the Akim Oda station. In a short but impressive address, Cecilia Abena Dapaah, the Minister for Sanitation and Water Resources indicated that government under the leadership of Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo had rolled out plastic refuse containers’ distribution policy as a measure to control waste products in public places.

She added that the said policy had also reduced the number of cholera cases in the beneficiary communities. According to her, government had placed many refuse containers at vantage points in some of the communities to assist the community members in keeping their environments clean, but the report reaching her was that some containers had been taken away by unknown persons.

Cecilia Abena Dapaah informed occupants in various households including those in the Birim Central Municipality to acquire plastic refuse containers, and emphasised that the acquisition of containers by the residents would also go a long way to make them manage waste products, and eventually brings government’s expenditure on waste management to downwards trend.

She also torched on illegal mining activities. According to her, illegal mining has caused destructions to water bodies including the Birim River and called on residents to desist from activities which will destroy the quality of Birim River. She explained that water is life and without it, no living thing would survive on the earth.

Cecilia Abena Dapaah further explained that the government spent huge sums of money to treat Birim River before it could be used by the people in Akim Oda and its environs. She indicated that the costs which government incur on water treatment are indirectly paid by the consumers, and however urged all and sundry to be each other keeper to monitor and report galamsey activities to the appropriate authorities.

In another development, Victoria Adu, the Municipal Chief Executive for Birim Central also used the occasion to catalogue some of the achievements of the Assembly. She advised all residents to eschew from putting waste products into water bodies. According to her, when waste products are put into water bodies, they could cause flooding to damage the properties of people.

Quartey Sampson, the Acting Director urged residents in Birim Central Municipality to use communal labour as a tool for cleaning the environment. He said when the environments become clean, it prevents people from getting diseases such as cholera and typhoid..

The dignitaries present at the durbar were, Cecilia Abena Dapaah, the Minister for Sanitation and Water Resources, Alexander Akwasi Acquah, the MP for Akyem Oda Constituency, Kofi Marfo, the MP for Achiase Constituency, Victoria Adu, the Municipal Chief Executive for Birim Central, Noah Tumfo, the Chief Director for Ministry of Sanitation and Water Resources, Haruna Amadu Zure, the Coordinating Director for Birim Central Municipal Assembly, and among others.