NiPDA Meets Stakeholders On Sanitation Issues Along The Beaches

A Sensitization and Awareness creation programme on sanitation issues, along the beach-fronts of the Ningo-Prampram district, has been organized for the people of Prampram at the Evangelical Baptist Church-Prampram. The objective of this meeting is to get the people to keep the beaches clean and desist the practice of disposing waste into the sea.

Mr. Yingura emphasized that, the ocean can be likened to a farm, bequeath to us naturally. It is therefore necessary to efficiently harness its benefits appropriately and sustainably, without losing its purity.

“Our purpose for this gathering is to put our efforts together to put the Ningo Prampram beaches to its cleanest, compared to that of neighboring districts – Tema, Kpone and the Accra Metropolitan Assembly (AMA)”

As the District Coordinating Director, Mr. Bernard Mats Yingura, rightly stated, the programme was a call for collaboration from all, to maintain a sustainable and clean ocean-fronts along the beaches of Prampram and its coastline communities. This has become very important in the wake of climate change, Government and the International communities clarion call to protect our Natural Endowments, especially the oceans and the seas.

He recollected that the beautiful beaches that were enjoyed some few years back, were no more. Its beauty has depleted and the phenomenon of throwing rubbishes and waste into the ocean is impacting negatively on our health conditions and the economy as a whole. Tourism activities and tourists who go to visit nice beach-fronts, patronize good foods and pass the night in hotels significantly adding to the economic benefits of the locality and the economy, generally.

The one-day program brought together stakeholders including the Chief fisherman of Prampram Nene Sipi, Fishermen of Prampram, Fishmongers Reps, Assembly and unit committee members, Family Reps, Staffs of the assembly, and sections of the coastal dwellers of Prampram.

Hon. Al-Latiff Tetteh Amanor, the District Chief Executive stated that his office has played significant roles by ensuring that the environment and beaches are kept clean, including requests made to chiefs and land owners for dumping sites for the two traditional areas in the District. he also made provision of more waste containers and early empting of this containers among others.

The District Directors of Environmental Health and Tourists and Culture, Ms. Evelyn Nani and Ms. Joyce Guddah respectively, presented on some of the activities by the people, identified to be problematic to the sustainability of the natural resources that must be addressed immediately.

They include, accumulation of waste and open defecation along the beaches, drying fishes and other vegetables on the bear floor among others. They encouraged all persons present to patronize the waste containers as well as the public toilets available at the coast. They were advised to also cover the floors before drying their vegetables and fishes.

The facilitators passionately appealed to the participants to also educate their families, neighbours and friends on the need to keep the coastlines free of filth.

The facilitators stressed on the need to keep the beaches clean, as tourism activities at the beaches draw investors to communities, including building factories to provide jobs to augment the predominantly fishing and farming activities in the district.

This finally improves on the standards of living, economically. “When our beaches are kept clean, the news will travel far and tourists would troop in to expand our settlements, more hotels will be patronized, economic activities will increase and more factories would spring up”.

The participants talked about their challenges for redress. The meeting came to close with assurances to increase the sensitization and awareness creation on sanitation by the assembly, provision of logistics to organize Communal Labours, forming taskforces to arrest and prosecute those who flout sanitation by-laws, provision of more waste containers and the opening of a public toilet at the Prampram – Lower beach-front for use.

ISD