The Accra Metropolitan Assembly (AMA) has arrested 15 people for dumping refuse at unapproved places and enjoying open defecation opposition to Section 56(a) and (b) of Act 851, Public Health Act (2012).
Among the offenders arrested for dumping waste at unapproved places were Rebecca Barnor Owuah, 46, a sanitation worker under the Sanitation Model of the Youth Employment Agency supervised by Zoomlion Ghana Limited and Akuley Tagoe, 25, a Trader.
The rest, who were arrested for open defecation, were Bright Ayala, 25, a boxer with the Wisdom Academy Gym at Jamestown, Suleman Yakubu, 56, a scrap seller, Robert Quartey 52 years, Nii Quaye Isaac, 37, a driver, Abdul-Rashid Ayuba, 37, and a carpenter, Fuseini Alhassan.
Others were 31-year-old head porter, Ebenezer Nyarko, 26, a coconut seller, Asamoah Dennis, 39, unemployed, Jesse Bills ,27, unemployed, Kwaku Jacob ,20, a staff of Sikkens, Kwame Ametordzi, 30 years unemployed, Ayetey Ayequaye, 40, unemployed and Adu-Gyamfi Bismark , 32, a worker.
The offenders, who were arrested between the hour of 4:00 am and 6:00 am at various areas within the Central Business District of Accra, as per the Head of the Environmental Health Department of the AMA, Florence Kuukyi, would be made to sign a bond and pay the cost of abatement or risk court action.
Addressing the issue of open defecation, she focused on that the channels and open spaces were not place to attend to nature's call, adding that it was against the AMA's sanitation bye-laws.
"Open defecation prompts tainting of water sources and food… This can also cause typhoid fever, the diarrhoea and cholera, this is the reason as per the bye-laws, each family should have a 'position of comfort' or 'latrine' and in the event that it's missing in a house, its tenants ought to visit the public latrines," she said.
She used the chance to call all inhabitants and families to disparage the family latrine offices being developed by the assembly.
She cautioned that the Assembly had strengthened its authorization practice and wouldn't face any break of the assembly's bylaws on sterilization, and food safety.