The awful state of sanitation in Accra has aroused the interest of many stakeholders and the general public at large.
Accra used to be a beautiful city, but not anymore.
Indigenes portrayed the rich culture of Ghana, a place where people are hardworking, healthy, happy and passionate about their jobs.
The simple and special lifestyle they live attracted foreigners into the country looking for opportunities to invest in the economy.
But what do we see today? Heaps of rubbish within market centers, the roadsides: choked and smelling gutters, carpet of plastics on the beach, floods here and there and poor settlements, which are destroying the beauty of the city.
It has now become an unsafe place to live, especially during the rainy season. All these can only be blamed on us.
Yes, citizens are solely to blame for the destruction of Accra: we litter around, dump refuse in our waterbodies and gutters, which tends to block the passage of rainwater, hence causing floods in most areas in Accra.
The stench that comes with these heaps of rubbish causes frustrations. The outbreak of diseases such as malaria and cholera are very rampant during this season, thus causing the government to spend more on the health sector which retards the development of the nation.
In places like Chorkor, Dome, Odorkor, Adabraka and its environs, sanitation is very poor.
Settlements in these areas are also not encouraging; houses are put up indiscriminately – sometimes houses built claim part of the streets,
People will always point fingers at the waste management companies, and in some instances, the Town and Country Planning, but the question is, can they do it alone without the help of the citizens? What use is the waste management company or Town and Country Planning if citizens litter around and do not follow the right procedure of dumping refuse? What use is the Town and Country Planning, if citizens build houses in waterlogged areas?
As the president, Nana Akuffo Addo said, millions of cedi would be wasted on making Accra the cleanest city if we do not change our attitude.
It is time to change our thinking and our way of doing things to make Accra the cleanest and the beautiful city again, let us all rise to address the sanitation issues in our capital city.
A call for action, a call for change.
By:Benedicta Amihere| 3news.com|Ghana
The writer is a student journalist at the University of Ghana and an intern at Media General.