Tema, March 18, GNA - Residents of Tema, today turned up in their numbers to support the massive clean up exercise organized by the Municipal Assembly to rid the industrial city of filth. Security personnel, traders, students, youth groups, other organizations including Non-Governmental Organizations participated in the exercise, which started at 0600 hours and ended at 1200 hours. Areas cleared for the first phase included Tema Township, Manhyean, and Kpone, whiles the second phase, which would be on April 8, this year would cover Adentah, Ashaley Botwe, Adjiriganor and Lashibi, as well as communities 13 and 20.

Economic activities virtually came to a standstill and commercial drivers were not also allowed to operate within the six hours. The exercise also had support from companies like Crocodile Machete, Maesk Sealand, the Tema Development Corporation, Tema Lube Oil, GHACEM, Tema Oil Refinery as well as the Ghana Ports and Harbours Authority.

The Municipal Chief Executive, Mr David Quaye Annag, noted that even though the turnout was encouraging, there was still some form of apathy in some of the residents and gave the assurance that the assembly's educational drive would be intensified to ensure that many people saw the need to participate. He added that, educating the people to change their attitude towards the environment and to know their civic responsibilities was the most important thing to ensure its sustainability and not the number of times you organise it. He said the assembly spends over a billion cedis a month in refuse collection alone and hoped if residents would change their attitude towards the environment, it would save the assembly from that huge sum.

Mr David Annag commended students from the second cycle institution for their participation and asked them not to see it as a punishment but part of their learning process of "serving the community in which you live".