The residents of Tema stand a high risk of contracting cholera because of the dirty environment in which they live as a result of indiscriminate dumping of refuse.

The Tema Metro Environmental Health Officer, Mr Edward Kwabla Shardey, told Ghana News Agency that dumping of waste haphazardly in drains especially during the raining season provide a fertile ground for the growth of pathogens.

Mr Shardey said germs and houseflies thrive best in dirty places as the flies settle on the food and water that people consume leading to cholera. He cautioned people in the Municipality to keep their environment clean and desist from dumping refuse, open defecation and other unhygienic practices.

He advised all households to register with the environment health office for their refuse to be collected at least once a week after paying a monthly token fee. Mr Shardey advised food vendors and petty traders to acquire litter bins for their shops to enhance good sanitation.