INTERNATIONAL YEAR OF SANITATION MARKED AT WA (PAGE 20)

This year's International Year of Sanitation has taken place in Wa, with a procession by schoolchildren.
They carried placards some of which read: “Keep our surroundings clean”; “Don't litter”; “Build more places of convenience”; “Save children from environmental pollution”.
Plan Ghana, a non-governmental organisation (NGO), supported the programme.
In a petition presented to the Deputy Upper West Regional Minister, Mrs Winifred Dy-Yaka, the children recognised the role of Zoomlion Ghana Limited, a waste management company, in helping to improve sanitation in the region.
They, however, regretted that the region placed last as far as sanitation was concerned in the country.
"Landlords build houses without latrines and the situation has resulted in indiscriminate defecation by residents”, they lamented, adding that lack of water at the Wa abattoir and indiscriminate disposal of waste, especially plastic bags, were appalling.
The children, therefore, called for re-introduction of monthly clean-up exercises in the region, stressing that bye-laws on sanitation should be enforced.
They also suggested that the use of plastic bags be banned and possibly alternatives that were more friendly to the environment be found.
"Honourable Minister, we believe that if sanitation is tackled seriously, it will promote good health for children in the region and make Upper West the neatest region in the country," they stressed.
Receiving the petition, Mrs Dy-Yakah commended the children for their concerns. She urged them to be ambassadors of a clean environment.