Accra, April 11, GNA - Over 500 Seventh-Day Seventh-Day_Adventist (SDA) Church members in the Madina District on Easter Sunday undertook a clean-up exercise at Madina as part of the Church's response to government's call to wage war against filth in the country.

The exercise which began 0700 hours saw women and men of Adventists faith distilling choked gutters and sweeping the streets and pavements from the Zongo Junction down to the Madina Social Welfare area, a distance of about one mile.

Sellers of assorted goods who were busily going about their businesses wondered how the gutters which according them were distilled just last week should be refilled with all kinds of filth.

Pastor Michael Kwame Tekper, in charge of the Madina District SDA Church told the GNA that Churches should be the main advocate of hygiene because Christians were obliged to ensure a clean and healthy environment.

"In the government of God, cleanliness is very important, and we the Churches and believers of Christ are suppose to lead the campaign against filth in our country because we know better and if we fail to rise to such a canker, we will be doing a great disservice to God and humanity," he said.

Pastor Tekper said "Now that the government has taken the lead in the campaign it is proper that we the Churches support the government or the local councils in finding a lasting solution to environmental problems. On the occasion of Easter, he said, the SDA Church appreciate and believe in the death and resurrection of Christ, but being Christians who worship on Saturday, members decided to undertake the exercise on Sunday.

Pastor Tekper said Easter should be celebrated constantly and continuously because its commemoration became evident any time Christians took part in the Lord's Supper.

Ms Winnie Apau Attafuah, Assemblywoman of the Madina Tatanaa electoral area, who took part in the exercise, deplored the attitude of people in the area especially the sellers saying, "My brother, the problem here is so huge and burdensome. You come to clean the gutters and the next day you find the gutters choked again with filth".

She alleged that the sellers in and around the Madina markets dumped refuse in the gutters at night even when refuse containers have been provided.

Ms Attafuah, however, said the amount of refuse generated in the area was so huge that the containers were not enough to contain the situation. She said the assembly was financially handicapped making it very difficult for it solve sanitary problems adding "Even labourers we have employed to clean the gutters on daily basis are sometimes not paid".