During the first quarter (January 1st to 31st March, 2023), environmental health and sanitation activities were carried out in an effort to promote and ensure clean environment within the Municipality.
Cleaning the Central Business Areas are routinely done by the Youth Employment Authority (YEA) Workers under the Management of Zoomlion Ghana Ltd and monitored/supervised by the Environmental Health and Sanitation Unit.
Occasionally clean-up campaign exercises are organized to augment the efforts of the YEA workers.
During this reporting period, sixty eight (68) of the YEA workers were at post to help sweep and clean all the central business areas of the municipality stretching from Effiduase to Jumapo.
All the principal streets were swept daily and the rubbish carted to final disposal site.
Drain Cleansing Activities
The drains along the principal streets are also desilted regularly to allow free flow of runoffs thereby preventing flooding and breeding of mosquitoes.
The NAMCOP operatives in Municipality undertook three (3) of such drain cleaning activities.
Clean-up Campaign in Collaboration with Church Of Pentecost
The Koforidua Effiduase District of the church of Pentecost in Asokore organized a community clean up exercise as part of its annual environmental care and sanitation activities. The campaign started from 13th March, 2023 and it was climaxed with clean up exercise on Saturday, 18th March, 2023. The designated areas to be cleaned were Bohye- located in the Adumasa electoral area, Asokore Kuma- near the Abrodua electoral area and Asokore Kuma near the Church of Pentecost chapel located in the Kan electoral area. Sanitary equipments (rake, long brooms, tricycle, gloves, and fork) were released to the church upon request to aid in the distilling of gutters, clearing bushy places and sweeping.
The people were grouped into two. The clean exercise started at 6:30am and ended at 10:30 am.
The first group worked at Asokore near Wofa Yaw Drugstore in the Abrodua electoral area. The exercise started with a short prayer, purpose of gathering, health education and the cleaning up.
Numerical strength: 55 [male: 24 female: 31]
In attendance were:
- Zoomlion Ghana Limited
- New Juaben North Municipal Asssembly Environmental Health and Sanitation Unit (Madam Joyce Appiah, Madam Portia Kpogo and Madam Joycelyn Boatemaa Affum)
- Elders, deacons and pastors from Mecedonia, Praise and New Town assemblies.
- All members and sundry of the Pentecost Church.
Activities
- Health education
The environmental health person educated participants on the following:
- The role of citizens in promoting environmental health. How to access the environmental health office and make complaints when people within our neighbourhood cause public nuisances. The location of the office and the time of work.
- Environmental hygiene, its advantages and disadvantages. She explained to the group the need to keep their surroundings cleans at all times to protect themselves against sanitation related diseases such as malaria, cholera, typhoid, covid and upper respiratory tract infections. The further reiterated the need for proper handwashing at all times.
- Cleaning
Members did the following:
- Distilling of drains around Wofa Yaw Drugstore area.
- Sweeping of principal streets from Wofa Yaw Drugstore to Fofie Public toilet area,
- All waste distilled were sanitary collected into tricycle and sent to the final disposal site.
The exercise ended with a prayer at 9: 30 am.
Group 2
The second group started at 7: 30 am. This group worked at Asokore Kuma near the church of Pentecost through to Effiduase community centre.
The exercise started with a short prayer, purpose of gathering, health education and the cleaning up.
Numerical strength: 57 [male: 35 female: 22]
In attendance were:
- Honorable Laminu (Assemblyman for Asokore Kuma)
- Zoomlion Ghana Limited
- New Juaben North Municipal Asssembly Environmental Health and Sanitation Unit (Madam Joyce Appiah, Madam Portia Kpogo and Madam Joycelyn Boatemaa Affum)
- Elders, deacons and pastors from Ebenezer Assembly.
- All members and sundry of the Pentecost Church.
Activities
- Health education
The environmental health person educated participants on the following:
- The role of citizens in promoting environmental health. How to access the environmental health office and make complaints when people within our neighbourhood cause public nuisances. The location of the office and the time of work.
- Environmental hygiene, its advantages and disadvantages. She explained to the group the need to keep their surroundings cleans at all times to protect themselves against sanitation related diseases such as malaria, cholera, typhoid, covid and upper respiratory tract infections. The further reiterated the need for proper handwashing at all times.
- Cleaning
Members did the following:
- Distilling of drains from Ebenezer Assembly to Effiduase community centre
- Sweeping of principal streets from Ebenezer Assembly to Effiduase community centre.
- Weeding of bushy areas around the area.
- All waste distilled were sanitary collected into tricycle and sent to the final disposal site.
The exercise ended with a prayer at 10:30 am.
Disinfection/Fumigation
AREAS OF WORK
- Disinfection and disinfestations of all public toilets in the municipality totaling Eighteen (18).
- The Assembly premise was also sprayed at Effiduase.
- The main drains in the Asokore, Effiduase, Jumapo and Oyoko were sprayed.
- The communal container sites numbering eleven (11) were also disinfected.
- Slaughter slab – Asokore
CHEMICAL AND EQUIPMENTS USED FOR THE EXERCISE
- ALPHACEP10 EC FUMIGANT
- 4 motorized mist blowers
- PPEs( personal protective equipment)
- One (1) Nissan Pickup
WORK SUPERVISORS FOR THE DISININFECTION
- MR DANIEL DARKU – Municipal Environmental Health Officer
- MR ERIC APPIAH – Municipal Manager, Zoomlion Ghana Limited
OBSERVATIONS / RECOMMENDATIONS
- The activities of disinfection and disinfestations were carried out successfully.
- All members of the spraying gang were all in the PPEs to protect them from effects of the chemical.
- The public attendants need to be informed prior to the undertaking of the exercise,
- The Environmental Health Unit needs more sanitary tools for such exercises.