The Ghana Maritime Authority (GMA)has embarked on a sensitisation exercise to whip up the interest of residents in riverine communities in good sanitation practices. 

The initiative is geared towards ensuring a clean and safe marine environment. 

The Authority believes this would enhance fish productivity and ensure fishes brought to the markets are safe for human consumption and healthy citizenry.

Aboatoasi harbours one of the busiest market centres in the Biakoye District of the Oti Region.

Riverine communities transport animals, fish, and other food commodities to sell here at Abotoase market. 

The development contributes to generating a large volume of waste, which is poorly managed by market leaders. 

This informed a decision by the Authority to select Abotoase as its focal point to educate the locals on good sanitation practices. 

GMA Staff joined the traders to clean portions of the landing beach while enlightening them on the need to sweep the market and properly dispose of waste periodically. 

The Maritime Security Coordinator of the Ghana Maritime Authority, Commander Festus Osei Brobbey, advised the traders to keep dustbins at their selling point for their customers to dump waste in them to avoid littering the environment.

He cautioned against the dumping of plastic and polythene materials in the water bodies, indicating it is harmful to the marine environment.

“When the fishes consume the rubber, they may die, and this would affect our fish production, so canoe owners must station bins in their canoes to collect waste and also ensure no passenger throws waste in the lake,” he said. 

Commander Brobbey also urged canoe owners and operators to fix at least two outboard motors to their canoes to navigate in storms safely. 

“One of the causes of accidents on the lake is the inability of the canoes to withstand the storm, but when you have at least two outboard motors, it will help you navigate through the storm and dock safely”, he explained. 

The Assistant to the Abotoase Market Queen, Mama Akadzie, lauded the Ghana Maritime Authority on the initiative and lamented the bad state of the access road as an impediment to their attempts to keep the market clean. 

“Because the road is not good, the driver of the Zoomlion truck refuses to empty the dustbin on the premise that when the tire bursts, he fixes it from his pocket”, she lamented. 

Mama Akadzie appealed to the government to construct the road to ensure easy accessibility to the market, which is the highest income generation point for the government. 

The Ghana Maritime Authority donated 4 dustbins, brooms, rakes, shovels, drinks and water to the market leaders.

GMA will continue the exercise at the Damba lakeside in the Krachi East Municipality of the Oti Region.