In Dealing With Ghana’s Sanitation Situation;Government Must Be Stricter & Citizens Must Be More Responsible

The Sanitation problem in Ghana has become the country’s  nightmare and successive governments over the years have tried their very best to solve the problem but irrespective of the action that they implement, it does not prove to be successful mainly because they have always been interested in applying short-term solutions or have not been strict enough with the implementation of such policies on sanitation.

As Ghanaians, we are very much aware of the dangers of filth in our country, homes, communities but we’ve not paid crucial attention to the subject of sanitation and it’s essence although it’s effects always stares at us in the face.

As a blogger, I have always wondered why it is hard for us as a country to deal with our sanitation issues once and for all especially when our leaders just like myself have at least had the opportunity to travel to some countries and observed how clean the streets of those countries look and what their governments have done to ensure that they go to that level.

Ghana must not look only beautiful at night

It’s almost like there’s no remedy for our sanitation problems as the situation keeps getting worse as the years go by. It’s disheartening as a citizen to see filth engulf every part of the country. If the case was different in the country’s capital, it would have been understood that at least we’ve made a conscious effort as a people to deal with the problem and are on the path of maintaining a clean Ghana.

Every now and then, we see campaigns after campaigns by various bodies, all in their bid to help curb the sanitation situation in the country but it’s always being a 9-day wonder. We work soo hard to clear the filth and after about a week or two, Ghana resumes it’s dirty.

It’s about time as a country, we implement very stringent measures if we are serious about solving the sanitation mess we find ourselves in because we need to create a good impression for.

The government needs to see sanitation as a basic necessity and we as individuals need to also play our role in ensuring that, the efforts of the government do not become vain.

I may not be a sanitation expert but I believe there are some simples steps if we follow, we can make Ghana a clean place, if we come to the understanding that, a clean country would open up our tourism sector, attract more foreign investors into the country, reduce the rate at which people die from diseases like malaria, Cholera, etc.

In my view, I think it’s about time we take a second look at our open drain gutters, the planning of our cities well, so people don’t just build anyhow, fining those who litter, making people spend some number of days in prison for violating sanitation laws.

The government can also look at rewarding individuals by involving the youth, students in certain challenges to help better spread the awareness.

Like I said, the responsibility does not only lie on government but on us as citizens as well. We need to educate our friends, parents, the community on the need to maintain a clean environment. We all can do something in our small way to help solve the sanitation problem in the country.

You have more ideas on what can be done to solve the sanitation problem? Share with me in comments.