Sunyani, June 16, GNA - Mr. Tony Duah, the Programme Officer of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), has appealed to the Sunyani Municipal Assembly to help procure more noise detector meters to enable the agency apprehend and prosecute culprits of noise pollution. He said the agency had received a number of complaints from the public about upsurge of noise pollution and its subsequent adverse effects especially on the ear. Mr. Duah said this at a meeting of the municipal sub-committee on sanitation, environment and works in Sunyani. The meeting was attended by representatives of the Ghana National Fire Service, butchers associations, Municipal Health Insurance Scheme, chop bar operators and environmental health officers. He expressed concern about the spate at which some musicians played music in mobile vans to sell their products and said this was causing public nuisance in the municipality.

Mr Duah said the agency was educating the general public about effects of excessive noise making and cautioned religious institutions especially churches to be careful in the way they undertook their activities in order not to cause public nuisance. On the construction of urban roads in the municipality Mr. Edward Nyonator, the Municipal Road Engineer, said his office was working on the upgrading of the Magazine and Nkwabeng North roads as well as resurfacing of the Nkwabeng south road. "The assembly had been asked not to award any contract because there is no money yet", he said. Mr. Kwasi Oppong Ababio, Municipal Chief Executive, appealed to assembly members to make development their major priority and eschew activities that could affect the development of the municipality. Mr. Raphael Cubagye, Chairman, said the committee intended to set up a task force to clamp down on chainsaw operators in the area.