Takoradi, Feb. 16, GNA - Business activities came to a halt in Takoradi on Saturday during a massive clean-up exercise as part of the Valentine Day celebration. As early as 0600 hours many residents began cleaning their surroundings and de-silting drains. Mr. Felix Boankrah, Western Regional Coordinator of Zoomlion, a waste management company, the main organizers of the event, said the increasing cases of communicable diseases that has been attributed to filthy environment, needed a concerted effort to fight the menace. He said it was sad that "our assemblies instead of developing our communities are compelled to use large sums of their revenue to pay for filth collection to the detriment of development." Mr. Boankrah said Ghanaians must adopt a new attitude towards environmental cleanliness and appealed to both parents and teachers to take an active interest in educating children on proper waste disposal. "Dumping of waste in drains, water-ways and other unapproved sites can have a devastating effect on residents." Mr. Kwabena O. Darko-Mensah, Member of Parliament for Takoradi, said the exercise was a laudable one and must be sustained to keep Ghana clean.

He said many people have become apathetic towards their own environment and continue to operate in filth on a daily basis. Mr. Darko-Mensah appealed to people in the constituency to clean their surroundings on a regular basis and should not wait for such organized events. Mr. David Yaro, Chief Director of the Regional Coordinating Council (RCC), Mr. Philip K. Nkrumah, Metropolitan Chief Executive and other heads of departments including the military joined in the exercise.