National Sanitation Day To Be Sustained

The next National Sanitation Day, which comes off on December 6, will be held in honour of Alhaji Aliu Mahama,the Vice President to President John Agyekum Kufuor from 2001 to 2009. Alhaji Mahama has passed on for over a year now. The Minister of Local Government and Rural Development, Mr Julius Debrah, announced this in Kumasi on Tuesday and said the decision was in recognition of Alhaji Mahama�s fight against indiscipline, which is in agreement with the policy to observe a national day of sanitation. The minister was addressing journalists at the Manhyia Palace after a closed door meeting with the Asantehene, Otumfuo Osei Tutu II, to thank him for his support during the maiden edition of the sanitation day. He said although the first edition did not receive the required involvement of the people, the government would continue with the initiative and go ahead to streamline mechanisms in order to get a lot more people on board. Mr Debrah was accompanied by the Ashanti Regional Minister, Mr Samuel Sarpong, and the Chief Executive of the Kumasi Metropolitan Assembly, Mr Kojo Bonsu. He said the success of the exercise would go a long way to eradicate diseases such as malaria and cholera. He said the Ministry of Local Government and Rural Development would by the first quarter of 2015 introduce recycling plants across the country in an effort to manage waste in the country. As part of the measures, he said, paper bags would be introduced to replace plastic bags. Mr Debrah has called for behavioural change on the part of the people to help fight the menace of insanitary conditions in the country.