The Paramount Queen Mother of Goaso, Nana Afia Serwaa, has publicly appealed to the Asunafo North Municipal Assembly to urgently install refuse bins at strategic locations across the town, warning that Goaso’s lack of public waste containers is heightening unsanitary conditions in the Ahafo regional capital.
During a community clean‑up initiative held by the Goaso Traditional Council and the Assembly—organized ahead of the funeral of Paramount Chief Nana Kwasi Bosomprah—Nana Serwaa expressed deep concern over the rising trend of indiscriminate littering. She described the situation as a public health hazard directly linked to the absence of rubbish receptacles at “vantage points” throughout the town
In response, the Asunafo North Municipal Chief Executive (MCE), Joseph Akparibo, pledged that the Assembly would swiftly address the sanitation challenge. He stated that environmental health officers have received instructions to begin enforcement of local sanitation bye‑laws “with immediate effect”. This includes prosecuting anyone found polluting the environment—a move intended to incentivize compliance and discourage human waste dumping.
The Sanitation Gap: Why This Matters in Goaso
As Goaso serves as the capital of the Ahafo Region, its sanitation standards are often seen as a model for surrounding communities. Yet despite this status, the town has long lacked adequate public sanitation infrastructure—a problem reinforced by low uptake of household refuse bins in certain zones.
According to the Asunafo North WASH Master Plan (2023–30), the district partners to achieve Sustainable Development Goal 6 have identified sanitation coverage to be notably poor—especially in urban centres like Goaso, where open defecation and improper solid waste disposal remain significant challenges. Areas such as Akrodie and Mim were noted for having the region’s lowest access to basic sanitation services, while Goaso slightly leads—but still falls short of national targets.
Studies within the plan estimate that public infrastructure such as communal refuse containers and household dustbins are either nonexistent or poorly maintained, contributing to overflowing dumpsites and littered streets.
What’s at Stake & What Comes Next
- Health risks escalates: Accumulated trash and unregulated disposal can result in mosquito breeding, rodent infestations, and cholera or diarrhea outbreaks—typical scourges in inadequate sanitation zones.
- Governance and stewardship: The queen mother emphasizes that public cleanliness is not simply an administrative challenge but a civic-duty issue—warning that leaving Goaso’s streets unchecked risks eroding traditional authority and public trust.
- Systemic enforcement: MCE Akparibo assigned environmental staff to patrol key areas and enforce sanitation bye‑laws. This shift from largely advisory policies to strict enforcement marks a turning point.
- Infrastructure plans: Though the WASH Master Plan envisaged door-to-door dustbin distribution and nightly sanitation patrols as early as 2023, implementation has reportedly stalled due to funding constraints. The queen mother’s call has injected momentum into reviving these programmes.
Going forward, the Assembly plans to collaborate with the traditional council, health units, and private sector partners like Zoomlion Ghana to facilitate bin provision, resource waste crews, and mount public-awareness campaigns.
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