For well over ten years, the mountains of garbage or rubbish that dotted the landscape around the country remained uncollected, unsightly, and unhealthy. And during this time, Ghanaians endured the harsh realities of living near garbage that is left to rot under the blazing hot sun: the swarming flies, the pungent smell, and the killer diseases.
Complaints made by citizens asking authorities to do something about the ever-increasing piles of stinking garbage fell on deaf ears. The situation remained stagnant and appalling. At one point, it became a national disgrace and an eyesore. To travel around the country was to encounter high mounds of smelly garbage.
Accra, our national capital in particular, takes the cake, it comes out on top. It is not squeaky clean as the President promised. Similar depressing scenes are common in all the other major cities in the country. Exasperated, Ghanaians throw their hands in the air and pray and hope that maybe, just maybe, the government will put on its thinking cap and do the right thing about refuse collection.
So, it came as a complete shock and a big relief all at once when the Ministry of Sanitation and Water Resources declared its intention to embark on a nationwide clearance of refuse.
I wonder why the ministry dragged its feet on this all-important issue for this long time. It is cognizant of the health risks posed by uncollected garbage, yet it refused to act when it should have. There are no excuses at all. The health of the Ghanaian population should be the paramount concern of government officials.
The hope here is that the sudden move of the Ministry of sanitation and Water Resources to get rid of uncollected garbage around the country is not a nine-day wonder; but rather it is something that would be done on a consistent and regular basis and not discontinued once the public loses interest.
Garbage collection should be an everyday affair and not once in a month’s activity.Towards this end, it would help if the ministry hires the services of more sanitation companies instead of relying solely on Zoomlion. Garbage collection is a huge undertaking and Zoomlion alone cannot effectively and efficiently do it to the satisfaction of all.
As for the Ghanaian public, we can contribute our quota towards a clean Ghana by upholding some basic principles; Keep our communities clean, dispose of our garbage responsibly and promptly and strive to be the best we can.
