Regional News of Wednesday, 17 August 2011

Source: GNA

Akuapem South Municipal Assembly to improve sanitation

Nsawam (E/R), Aug. 17, GNA - The Akuapem South Municipal Assembly, is to allocate part of its Assembly Common Fund to help strengthen the supervision role of the District Water and Sanitation Team (DWST) towards the improvement of sanitation in the area.

This was announced by the Municipal Coordinating Director of the Assembly, Mr Umar Amadu Dabou, in response to concerns raised at the citizens’ deliberation forum at Nsawam on Wednesday.

The Akuapem South Municipal Governance Issues Forum Network (GIFNet), a civil society organization that provides platform for citizens to influence policies that affect them, organized the event that was sponsored by the Institute of Democratic Governance.

The forum was organized on the theme: “Tackling Sanitation Issues through Education and Law Enforcement in the Municipality, Challenges and Possible solutions”.

Assembly members, heads of department, market women, members of the Unit Committees in the Municipality and the public attended the forum.

Mr Dabou said that the money, which would be allocated to the DWST, would form part of the assembly’s medium term development plan.

The forum identified that the capacity of the DWST was constrained by the lack of resources and logistics to supervise the activities of the Water and Sanitation Committees, responsible for the promotion of sanitation in the Municipality.

Ms Leonie Florence Gyebi-Twum, Akuapem South Municipal Coordinator of GIFNet, called on the assembly members to collaborate with their Unit Committee members to organize meetings for the people on sanitation.

Ms Gyebi-Twum advised the assembly members to organize regular clean-up exercises in their respective areas and help in enforcing sanitation bye-laws of the assembly.