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General News on Friday, June 7, 2019
Source: ghananewsagency.org
2019-06-07
Attah Arhin, Vice President of CONIWAS
The NGO Coalition for Water and Sanitation (CONIWAS) called on the government to urgently reactivate the process for the creation of the National Sanitation Authority. in order to effectively manage the problem of sanitation in the country.
Mr Attah Arhin, vice president of CONIWAS, said that after 18 months of launching the national campaign for sanitation, the cabinet note on the establishment of the Authority n & # 39; 39, had not yet been approved, despite initial commitments made with stakeholders.
"The long silence and inertia in the progress of the process have become a source of concern not only for us as an organization of civil society, but also for all Ghanaians whose expectations are to a cleaner and healthier Ghana have been mitigated, "he said.
The Vice President said this at a press conference in Accra organized Thursday by CONIWAS to outline its position on the government's performance in controlling sanitation problems in the country.
Mr Arhin noted that the government had made little progress in areas such as the creation of a national fund for sanitation, the creation of a budget brigade for sanitation to make adhere to the regulation on the sanitation and deployment of automatic sweepers on the main streets.
There has also been little or no progress in areas such as ensuring that Metropolitan, Municipal and District Assemblies (MMDAs) implement the "One House, One Toilet" policy and reserve a reserve day to hear offenses. in sanitation of the Ministry of Sanitation and the Attorney General. Department, he said.
According to CONIWAS, the Ministry of Monitoring and Evaluation has been tasked with publishing quarterly the results of the MMDA remediation program, appointing sanitation advocates to raise awareness, and waste modern and efficient tools.
However, Mr. Arhin congratulated the government for the development of three new material recovery and recycling development sites, indicating that there was evidence of a public-private partnership regarding Zoompak, the Waste treatment plant Jekora to Compost, PET and low density films. factory in Prampram.
He urged the government to replicate all initiatives in other regions.
In order to realize the government's vision of making Accra the cleanest city in Africa, Arhin suggested tackling citizens' sanitation behavior and strengthening efforts to promote recycling, implementation of policies and enforcement.
The government has also been urged to place environmental health and sanitation at the center of all development policies and strategies, to make sanitation improvement a key performance indicator for developing countries. ministers, MMDCEs and all government appointees.
On the issue of recycling and reuse of plastic waste, Arhin said, "If we can not speed up recycling and reuse, and can not manage our waste, then the government should have the political will to ban the production, import and use of non-plastic waste. biodegradable plastics at least until the necessary structures are in place to deal with the threat. "
He urged the government to release the additional 200 million GHS funding promised by the president while delivering the 2018 State of the Nation Address on Sanitation.
One step that could help tackle the sanitation problems in the country, he said, was for the government to strengthen the Ministry of Sanitation and Water Resources so that it would be easier for them to clean up their homes. it badumes the role of leadership and coordination of the provision of sanitation services through its agencies.
"As a country, if the basics of our sanitation continue to be weak, floods, cholera and other preventable diseases will continue to expose us," he said.
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