The Ashanti Regional Minister, Dr Frank Amoakohene has cautioned residents of the region against indiscriminate littering.

The once beautiful garden city of Kumasi is now engulfed with heaps of filth in major drains, market centres, and other residential areas, serving as breeding grounds for various contagious diseases.

The minister, together with the Zoomlion Company Limited and some residents, embarked on a clean-up exercise to tidy up some selected areas in Kumasi, including markets.

The initiative was part of Ghana's 68th Independence Day celebration.

The clean-up exercise took place at Manhyia, Aboabo station, and Alaba market, where drains were choked with plastics and organic waste.

Addressing the media after the exercise, Dr Amoakohene highlighted how plastic pollution contributes to flooding in the city.

"We are finding a lasting solution to the flooding aspect in the region, that made us select these places to hold the clean up exercise because this area is a flood prone area in Kumasi," he said.

Dr Amoakohene emphasised the need to institute proactive measures ahead of the rainy season.

"That is why on the Independence Day celebration, we are desilting all the choked gutters to liberate ourselves from poor sanitation,” he said.

He assured of the re-introduction of sanitation guards to instill discipline in residents and fight poor sanitation in the region.

The Minister pledged to ensure that those who contribute to insanitary conditions are punished to serve as a deterrent.

"We are out, and we will be more radical on especially those who make refuse in their homes and dump them in the various drains. It is unacceptable, and anyone who is found or caught will not be spared. The law will take its course," he said.