Vice President Professor Jane Naana Opoku-Agyemang has participated in day one of the two-day national clean-up exercise at the Nungua Market in Greater Accra.

She joined Nungua residents and traders at the Nungua Market as they desilted choked drains, cleared debris and improved environmental sanitation.

The June 29 flood disaster, which severely hit the Greater Accra Region, led to the loss of 13 lives, with six others still missing.

The two-day national cleanup exercise on the theme “Our Actions, Our Future: Cleaning Ghana after the Floods”, aimed at desilting choked drains, clearing accumulated waste and disinfecting communities hit by recent heavy rains.

While the Vice President was at Nungua Market to lend her support, President John Dramani Mahama visited Tse Addo and Alajo within Accra to lend a hand to the ongoing national cleanup exercise.

Speaking to the press at the Nungua Market, the Vice President extended her appreciation to Ghanaians for coming out in their numbers to support the very important exercise.

“We are gathered here today because something has gone wrong, and in many instances, some of the challenges we face are issues that we have contributed to ourselves,” the Vice President said.

She added: “We recognise that nature will always take its course, but our actions and inactions can sometimes worsen the effects of natural events.”

She noted that there were occasions where people who suffered the consequences might not necessarily be the ones who caused the problem.

“For instance, when we dispose of refuse into drains, we may be contributing to situations where another person’s home becomes flooded because the free flow of water has been blocked,” she explained.

The Vice President said the exercise should therefore serve as a wake-up call for all Ghanaians.

“We already know the right things to do. We do not need to be reminded through sermons; we simply need to take responsibility and do what is right,” she said.

“Let us work together to protect one another, protect our communities and protect our country,” she added.

She again thanked everyone who had come out to support the national exercise, stating that these were the moments when they must show love, care and solidarity towards one another.

The Vice President said: “We all have a responsibility to improve the way we manage sanitation. We know the rainy season comes every year, and ideally, we should have started clearing waterways and drains around March and April to prepare for the rains.”

The Vice President said, however, that the damage had already occurred and that important lessons could be learned from the situation.

She urged Ghanaians to continue to commit to doing the right thing at the right time.

Vice President Opoku-Agyemang was accompanied by Mr Ahmed Ibrahim, the Minister of Local Government, Chieftaincy and Religious Affairs; Madam Linda Obenewaa Akweley Ocloo, the Greater Accra Regional Minister; and Dr Agnes Naa Momo Lartey, the Minister for Gender, Children and Social Protection.