PRESS STATEMENT: YALI calls on gov’t to act on flooding situation

CHANGE WASTE MANAGEMENT STRATEGY TO ADDRESS PERENNIAL FLOODS
IN ACCRA - YALI ALUMNI TO GOVERNMENT
Floods in the Capital City have become an annual and routine
occurrence that need to be reversed. This would however require pragmatic
solutions that tackle the root causes of these floods.
Since June 3rd flood disaster in 2015, Accra
Floods continue to pose serious security threats to residents as evident in
recent disasters. Lives are lost and properties destroyed, economic activities
get disrupted as mobility within the city become virtually impossible each time
it rains. Government budget comes under stress when emergency services have to
be provided to restore equilibrium in the ecosystem to protect lives and
properties.
Though causes and effects of the flood disasters are well
known to all, not much has been done to tackle root causes of the situation sustainably
hence the annual occurrence.
Aside planning issues and poor drainage systems, waste
mismanagement is a major underlying cause of these perennial floods in the
Capital. The waste situation is assuming a crisis dimension in Ghana. Waste
mismanagement draws back efforts by Government, development agents and agencies
to attain the Sustainable Development Goals in Ghana by UN’s 2030
timeline.
Waste materials are useful resources in transition and must
therefore not become nuisance and disaster causing agents.
In pursuit of the Sustainable Development Goals and the
President’s vision to make Accra the cleanest city in Africa, YALI Alumni Association of Ghana is
embarking on behavior change campaign to sensitize populace on sustainable
waste management and benefits to society.
The campaign raises awareness on the urgent need to
transform waste management in Ghana to institute the culture of source
separation and value recovery. It rallies young people and sector stakeholders
to sensitize and empower residents to manage waste as resource. It would be
carried out by the Association and partners nationwide. This we believe would
prepare all stakeholders and residents in the readiness process as we provide
needed support systems to institute source separation and value recovery of
waste as a national ethos.
We are launching the campaign today in commemoration of the
June 3rd flood disaster in Accra.
We therefore call on Government, its agents and agencies;
industry, the media, citizens and all relevant stakeholders to support our
campaign to transform waste management culture for shared benefits. A
sustainable waste management system would contribute largely to preventing
flood disasters in Accra, and attaining major targets for the Sustainable
Development Goals. Sustainable
jobs would be created along the vale chain as communities and people become
safer, healthier and wealthier.
Signed
Communication DepartmentMONDAY JUNE 3RD 2019
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