Mr Sam Ayeh Datey, Coordinating Director of the Accra Metropolitan Assembly (AMA), has condemned the apathy by residents in Accra towards the National Sanitation Day exercise.

He described the attitude as destructive and has the tendency of killing initiative in the society.

He, therefore, advised residents to attach importance to sanitation issues.

Mr Datey, told Ghana News Agency in an interview after the Sanitation Day exercise in Accra, that the Assembly has centred its focus on ensuring that open defecation along the beaches and illegal sand collection are stopped.

He said: “W e have a problem with the collection of the refuse that is why the AMA introduced the Pollution Pay System and liaised with its private waste management providers to ensure that Accra is cleaner than before.”

Mr Datey said it is important for members of the public to observe clean environmental practices in their communities and avoid the erroneous perception that: “The AMA is solely responsible for cleaning the environment.”

He said with determination by the AMA, and its collaborators efforts are being put in place to step up education to create awareness among the people to refrain from indiscriminate dumping of refuse into drains and to sustain the cleanup exercise.

Mr Datey joined hands with sub-metropolitan assemblies such as Ayawaso East and Ayawaso West to undertake the exercise at the 37 Military Hospital area, Osu Klottey Ring Road, Okaikwei South and Kaneshie.

Other areas were Ablekuma Central at Abossey Okai and Ashiedu Keteke at Agbogbloshie.