Zoomlion Ghana has begun a mass disinfection exercise across the Upper East Region as authorities step up preventive measures against diseases that could spread during the peak of the rainy season.
The exercise, which covers more than 15 districts, is targeting public places including markets, lorry parks, schools, health facilities, abattoirs and other public infrastructure.
Zoomlion’s Upper East Regional Manager, Kojo Njabore, said the intervention was aimed at reducing the risk posed by disease-causing pathogens that can be spread through contaminated water and waste during the rains.
“When it rains, the water carries a whole lot of debris that contaminates public health, public infrastructure and most of the public places,” he said.
He said the exercise was targeting pathogens linked to cholera, typhoid and malaria, among other diseases.
Mr Njabore said the company was particularly concerned about public spaces where large numbers of people gather.
The intervention comes as the northern part of Ghana enters the peak of its rainy season, a period when flooding and poor sanitation can increase the risk of waterborne and other infectious diseases.
Mr Njabore sought to reassure traders, butchers and other users of the facilities being disinfected that the chemicals used in the exercise were safe.
He said they had been approved by the Environmental Protection Authority (EPA).
At the abattoir, one of the facilities covered by the exercise, he said normal activities could resume within about eight hours after spraying.
“These are EPA-approved chemicals that we are using,” he said.
He explained that the open nature of most of the facilities meant they could be safely used after the recommended period.
Mr Njabore said the disinfection exercise was only one part of Zoomlion’s wider public health and sanitation efforts.
He called on residents to take greater responsibility for keeping their surroundings clean.
“Sanitation is a continuous thing. It can never be an event,” he said.
He added that Zoomlion was considering another intervention later in the year, although it might involve a different approach depending on the environmental or public health challenge at the time.
Source: Bolgafmonline.com |102.7 MHz| Bolgatanga
