Parliament holds public hearing on sanitation

The Parliamentary Select Committee on Local Government and Rural Development will today, Thursday August 29, hold a special public sitting to review the sanitation problem in Ghana and make appropriate recommendation to Parliament.

The Center for Democratic Development (CDD) is supporting the meeting, which would be held at the Teachers Hall, Accra.

A statement from the Office of Parliament on Tuesday said the review was in consonance with the committee's oversight responsibility in matters of development in the local government and rural sector of the country. It said, "Parliament has been much concerned with the deteriorating environmental and sanitation situation in many Ghanaian communities particularly, within the Accra Metropolitan Assembly Area.

"Almost on a daily basis the media have reported on bad sanitation and unacceptable environmental practices in various places in the Accra Metropolis, which carries negative implications for national development."

The statement said tourism, health, national productivity and trade were only a few of the sectors of national development that were adversely affected if attention were not paid to good sanitation and public health.

The public hearing would be presided over by the Chairman of the Committee, Mr G. Y. Amoah, MP for Bosome-Freho, officials from the Ministry of Local Government and Rural Development, the AMA and the Environmental Protection Agency, who would make presentations and address public concerns on sanitation in Accra.