By Sualah Abdul-wahab
The second National Sanitation Day was held throughout the country over the weekend after President John Dramani Mahama launched it last month, with a call on all metropolitan, municipal, and district assemblies to embrace the exercise seriously. In line with the directive, the Nadowli District Assembly in the Upper West Region held the District Sanitation Day at Jang, one of the area councils in the district.
The District Chief Executive, Madam Mary Haruna, who led the exercise, expressed the determination of the assembly to re-introduce the house-to-house visits of environmental health officers, popularly known as “Nsamansaman,” as part of efforts to improve environmental hygiene in homes.
Speaking to the media after the clean-up, Madam Mary Haruna said the re-introduction of the Nsamansaman concept aims at making residents environmentally conscious by keeping their surroundings clean at all times instead of waiting for a clean-up exercise before doing so.
She indicated that the district assembly moved the exercise to Jang to create awareness about the Day in other area councils instead of concentrating on the district capital, Nadowli. Residents swept the market, the Jang Health Centre, and the streets.
The DCE described the participation of children as reassuring because they are likely to grow up with the habit of ensuring environmental cleanliness. She said even though the announcement about the clean-up was short, residents came out and took part in the exercise.
She commended the security agencies for turning out in their numbers, adding that the other area councils should stand by because the next exercise could take place in their areas. Madam Haruna urged all to embrace the concept as it is one of the ways to enhance their health and well-being.
