Several unauthorised structures have been demolished, and three sanitation offenders summoned to court as the Kumasi Metropolitan Assembly (KMA) intensified enforcement during the first National Clean-Up Day exercise in the Central Business District of Adum.

The structures, mostly makeshift wooden stalls and tables, were pulled down by the KMA sanitation taskforce after they were found to be obstructing public spaces and contributing to poor sanitation in the area.

The exercise, led by the Kumasi Metropolitan Assembly, saw assembly staff, security personnel and representatives from public and private institutions clean major streets, clear choked drains and remove heaps of refuse.

The KMA authorities also arrested some food vendors operating under unhygienic conditions, with their food items confiscated for violating sanitation regulations.

Speaking during the exercise, the Kumasi Mayor Richard Ofori Agyeman-Boadi urged businesses and residents to take responsibility for maintaining a clean environment by properly disposing of waste at designated points.

He encouraged businesses within the Central Business District to make use of KMA waste bins and avoid dumping refuse in public spaces.

Mr Agyeman-Boadi disclosed that ''three individuals had so far been issued summonses to appear before the assembly's environmental court for sanitation-related offences''.

He warned that persons who deliberately flout sanitation laws would face the full force of the law.

“If the nuisance is such that we find that it is deliberate and you don’t want to do anything about it, we will apply the law,” he said.

Mr Agyeman-Boadi explained that the assembly would continue monitoring areas where sanitation challenges persist and intervene to restore cleanliness.

He added that the second phase of the exercise would focus on community-based clean-up activities at Alaba, involving personnel from the Ghana Armed Forces, the Ghana Police Service, the Ghana National Fire Service, Immigration Service and other security agencies.

Mr Agyeman-Boadi also called for a review of the monthly sanitation exercise, suggesting that it could be moved from the first Saturday of every month to the first Friday to encourage greater participation from businesses and institutions.

He said the level of participation from organisations during the National Clean-Up Day showed that a regular weekday exercise could improve commitment to maintaining a clean environment.