Zoom Alliance, a subsidiary of Zoomlion Ghana Limited in partnership with the Ministry for Local Government and Rural Development and the Accra Metropolitan Assembly will soon introduce a Community Sanitation Police and Monitoring Taskforce to help curb poor sanitation in the country. Senior Operations and Technical Manager at Zoom Alliance, Kenneth Asare disclosed this at a drainage desilting and clean up exercise at Achimota-Kopevi drains in Accra. “We are introducing monitors and police so that after we have cleaned and left, the area will be monitored and policed so that people do not dump indiscriminately”’ he stressed. The Ministry of local Government and Rural Development in partnership with the Zoomlion Group and the local Authorities has launched a National Programme aimed at desilting the various drains in the country ahead of the rains this year. The move according to Kenneth Asare is aimed at ensuring that flooding and issues of malaria and cholera outbreaks during rainy seasons are eliminated. “The Chairman of the Zoom Group, Dr. Joseph Siaw Agyepong is totally committed to this project and has pledged his utmost support”, explained Mr. Asare. He noted that the rains are coming and therefore it is imperative to ensure that drains are desilted, filth is cleared and a permanent taskforce instituted to ensure that people are disciplined towards sanitation. Mr. Asare added that with the institution of the taskforce, anyone who flouts the AMA by-laws on sanitation will be prosecuted at the sanitation court without any hesitations. He stressed that sanitation and environmental cleanliness are shared responsibilities and require the support of government and the general public. “The communities have a role to play, we have a role to play, we will do our part, but if the community doesn’t play its role there’s no way we can sustain this programme”, he stressed. The Community Sanitation Police and Monitoring Taskforce is the 2nd phase of the National Sanitation Taskforce launched in December 2012 and will be spearheaded by Zoom Alliance with support from Zoomlion Ghana Limited. The taskforce will have an implementation committee with representation from all security agencies including the National Disaster Management Organization (NADMO), the environmental health officers and the regional coordinating councils. Johannes Obeng Danso , Operations Manager at Zoom Alliance explained that communal containers will be placed at vantage points for residents with inaccessible routes to their homes to dump in for a fee. He explained that the polluter pay principle where each house pays for every tonne of refuse it generates will be effectively implemented with the help of the city authorities. “We are embarking on series of intensive public education so that people understand the need to keep our environments clean”, he mentioned. The Acting Communications Manager of Zoomlion Mr. Robert Coleman said regardless of the number of personnel and equipment Zoom Alliance deploys for effective Operations, if the citizenry do not change their attitudes we will not be able to make any significant progress to enhance sanitation in the country. He advised the various Metropolitan, Municipal and District Assemblies to enforce their by-laws and prosecute sanitation offenders to serve as a deterrent to others.