Bye-law to make the sanitation exercises compulsory

The Ministry of Local Government and Rural Development (MLGRD), would execute a model bye-law to make it compulsory for every citizen to be part of the National Sanitation Day Campaign exercise every month.

The Deputy Minister for Local Government and Rural Development, Nii Lante Vanderpuiye, who announced this at a stakeholders’ meeting, at Koforidua, stated that the law had been drafted and very soon would be laid before Parliament for approval.

He said the need for such bye-law had become necessary following the experiences and observations of the fourth round of the exercise in the regions that had hosted it so far, and expressed the hope that when finalized, every Ghanaian would be compelled to partake in the exercise.

However, the Deputy Minister noted that, the assemblies despite the absence of the model bye-law, had the power to institute bye-laws to compel residents in their jurisdiction to be part of the exercise every first Saturday of a month.

He said nothing prevented the district assemblies to enact bye-laws or impose sanctions on people who refused to take part in the exercise as a means to sustain the exercise for national development.

The Stakeholder meeting was organized by the Eastern Regional Coordinating Council (RCC) to fine-tune strategies device to facilitate the region’s hosting of the 5th national sanitation day exercise.

The National Sanitation day exercise was instituted a few months ago by the current Chief of Staff, Mr Julius Debrah, then, the Minister for Local Government and Rural Development, and has since been hosted by Greater Accra, Ashanti, Northern, Volta and the Eastern Regions.

The Eastern Regional Minister, Mr Antwi-Boasiako Sekyere and his Deputy, Ms Mavis Ama Frimpong, and all the Municipal and District Chief Executives, Regional and District Environmental and Health Coordinators, with the media, deliberated on ways to make the exercise a success.

The Regional Minister appealed to the media to support the national sanitation campaign by educating the public on the need to participate and the benefits of good sanitation, and explained that the only way to curtail the devastation of cholera on the people in this 21st century was to sustain the sanitation campaign day exercise.