Following the outbreak of cholera in parts of Accra, market women will roll up their sleeves and embark on a massive clean-up exercise to clear the markets in the metropolis of filth.
Consequently, 42 markets in the Greater Accra Region will be closed to the public from 6:00a.m. to 12:00p.m. today for the exercise.
Some of the areas to be cleaned are the Makola Shopping Mall, Madina Market, 31st December Market, Odorkor Market, Tema Market and the Ashaiman Market.
Public hospitals in Accra and some coastal areas have been inundated with cholera cases in the past two months.
Open defaecation and the ever-mounting filth have been identified as the major causes of cholera, and according to the 2011 Multi Indicator Cluster Survey (MICS) Report, over 5.7 million (23 per cent) of the Ghanaian population engage in open defaecation daily.
It is estimated that more than 6,000 cholera cases have been reported in the Greater Accra Region since the outbreak, with 51 deaths as of August 21, 2014. Out of the number, the Korle-Bu Polyclinic and the La General Hospital alone have recorded 2,156 cases with some deaths. For instance, at the Korle-Bu Polyclinic, 1,154 cases have been reported, with 13 deaths.
These are only cases reported at health facilities, an indication that the number could be more,
The alarming situation has forced the Vice-President, Mr Kwesi Amissah-Arthur, and a team of government officials to embark on clean-up exercises at some 18 unapproved dump sites in Accra.
Cleaning the market
Speaking to the Daily Graphic, the Secretary of the association, Ms Margaret Ankamah, said traders in the markets had a role to play in ensuring food security and cleanliness, and added, �we need to work together to clean the markets�.
Ms Ankamah stated that the association had informed traders in all the 42 markets in Accra about the exercise and called on the traders to come along with their cleaning materials.
�We have gone round and spoken to them about the exercise and we are confident that they will all join us in this regard to reduce the number of cholera cases. Trading activities will begin after we finish the exercise�, she said.
According to Ms Ankamah, they had educated their members to properly dispose of all waste materials and disclosed that the exercise would be held once every month.
In an interview with the Daily Graphic, the Metropolitan Chief Executive (MCE) of the Accra Metropolitan Assembly (AMA), Dr Alfred Oko Vanderpuije, said the assembly would support the traders with the necessary logistics to clean the markets.
Most of the markets in Accra lack proper refuse containers, toilet facilities and many traders display their items on the bare ground.
In an attempt to promote discipline, a special task force has been inaugurated by the Greater Accra Regional Coordinating Council to ensure that persons who flout sanitation laws are sanctioned accordingly.
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