From Isaac Akwetey-Okunor
(ikantso2012@gmail.com)
The regional office of Zoomlion in Koforidua has begun an exercise to collect all refuse within the New Juaben Municipality and various dumping sites across the regional capital this morning.
The exercise has become necessary, following the continued outcry of residents in the Koforidua township, for fear of any possible outbreak of cholera as the rainy season sets in. Koforidua has been inundated with refuse for the past three weeks, with the only refuse collection company in the regional capital, Zoomlion, refusing to clear work, due to the government’s indebtedness to them.
The Eastern File, during its normal checks at some of the areas engulfed with filth early Saturday morning, spotted staff of the company, particularly the sanitation section, with their trucks and other heavy equipment deployed to cart the refuse to the proper dumping site provided by the Municipal Assembly.
Zoomlion did not only cart heaped refuse, but also sprayed the sites so as to prevent any health hazards to the people staying close by. Ms. Faustina Shadey from the Zoomlion office in Koforidua called for an attitudinal change towards sanitation, saying ensuring hygiene is both personal and a shared responsibility.
She added: “We have to try to manage ourselves. There are some responsibilities for individuals that would not lead to the situation in the capital”. The Zoomlion official has, however, assured residents in the municipality of the commitment and readiness of her company to clear the heaps of refuse within the municipality today.