The Accra Metropolitan Assembly (AMA) has announced that the June edition of the National Sanitation Day clean-up exercise will take place throughout the metropolis on Saturday, June 6, 2026, with a strong emphasis on desilting drains and clearing choked waterways to help reduce flooding during the rainy season.
The Assembly stated that the effort, known as “Operation Free Choked Drains,” would be conducted in all of the Accra metropolis’ sub-metros, marketplaces, truck parks, villages, business districts, and other public areas.
The Assembly stated that the activity was a component of its ongoing efforts to enhance environmental sanitation, safeguard public health, reduce flooding, and encourage shared responsibility for keeping Accra clean in a statement signed by Mr. Gilbert Nii Ankrah, Head of Public Affairs of the AMA.
Desilting and clearing drains, sweeping streets and public areas, clearing clogged rivers, removing trash from market areas, cleaning road curbs, and general cleaning of neighbourhoods, markets, streets, lanes, and drains are all listed as part of the June activity.
The AMA stated that all stores, stalls, tabletop companies, and hawker operations were expected to be suspended until the exercise was finished, and that no trading activity would be allowed during the clean-up time.
It stated that the emphasis on clearing waterways and desilting drains was essential, particularly as the rainy season deepened and the risk of flooding rose in communities that were already at risk.
Residents, traders, shop owners, transportation operators, food sellers, corporate institutions, organisations, religious bodies, youth groups, community-based organisations, and other stakeholders were urged to actively participate in the exercise by the Assembly.
The AMA stated that enforcement would be a crucial part of the exercise and cautioned that anyone who did not participate, interfered with the exercise, or engaged in trading activities during the clean-up period would face arrest, fines, prosecution before the sanitation court, or sanctions in line with the applicable bylaws.
It emphasised that while the Assembly continued to carry out significant sanitation and drainage improvement activities, people, businesses, and institutions also had an obligation to cease disposing of waste into drains, open spaces, and rivers in order to prevent floods in Accra.
In order to guarantee efficient coordination, community mobilisation, and active engagement at the local level, the Assembly also instructed Assembly Members to oversee clean-up operations in their respective electoral regions.
It warned the public that flooding, environmental pollution, and the spread of diseases were greatly exacerbated by disposing of rubbish in open areas, pouring it into drains, and neglecting to clean frontage areas.
It called on all locals, merchants, transportation companies, store owners, food sellers, hawkers, corporate organisations, and other interested parties to participate in the activity on Saturday and help maintain Accra’s cleanliness.
The Assembly stated that public collaboration, discipline, and a renewed commitment by citizens and businesses to refrain from actions that clog drains and exacerbate floods in the capital would be crucial to the exercise’s success.
Source: newsthemegh.com