The Western Regional Co-operating Council under the auspices of the Regional Minister, Hon. Kwabena Okeyre Darko-Mensah has introduced a web app called E-TANKAS in the region which would help manage and report waste nuisance in the system.
A key component of the system is location data which would ensure the quality of monitoring of the activities of Environmental Health Officers and Unit Committee’s participation in the programme and generation of a spot fine mechanism which would force polluters to pay for their indiscipline. The Prestea Huni-Valley Municipal Assembly held a meeting on Thursday, 1st June, 2023 at 9:00 A. M. Prompt at the Municipal Assembly Hall with it stakeholders to discuss about the implementation of this initiative.
The Regional officers are the initiative of the E-TANKAS, they also help to give directions and counselling concerning environmental issues. For example, how to make our environment clean and keeping it tidy.
Environmental health officers said,
it came to our notice that the President of Ghana has initiated a law some time back that all the cities should be kept clean, so he informed all the regional officers to come up with any solution or idea on how to keep their cities clean due to that the regional officers put it into consideration with it stakeholders to come up with the Electronic town counselling E-TANKAS.
The main focus of the E-TANKAS is to ensure that the environments are kept clean
Some of the agent of E-TANKAS includes District agent these are people put into the system to gather information concerning environmental issues for instance the environmental health officers are the people put in charge at the district level they ensure that the communities are kept well. they also ensure that everyone work in accordance of the law and they make sure
those who violate the law get punished. We also have community report, these are individuals put in charge in the various communities to report any one violating the law example, when someone is going against environmental health law like Defecating at unauthorized places.
The Environmental Health Offences includes; Defecating at unauthorized places, urinating at unauthorized places, Selling Food at unhygienic places, indiscriminate Disposal /Burning, indiscriminate Disposal/Burning of refuse; Industrial Area, Commercial Area, Residential Area, Overgrowth of weed in premises; Business /commercial, Residential area, Cutting of trees
without permit, stray animals; cattle, pigs, sheep/goats, dogs
And also excessive noise making, selling of Expired /Rotten foods, Exposure of foods to flies and dust.
We were advised to take all of these offences into consideration and failure to do so you will be charge to pay some money or you will be arrested. Meaning everyone should make sure all these things should be avoided example excessive noise making should be avoided meaning that we should be mindful of the time for making announcement and selling of medicines or even the drinking spot. And also when animals are walking around without being vaccinated the owners might be charged for that offence, when cutting down trees too you must have permit in order not to be charged.
All the E-TANKAS agent should report any issue concerning the environmental health using the E-TANKAS App
In attendance were the Municipal Coordinating Director (MCD) Mr. Emmanuel Gyan, Municipal police commander from Aboso and Bogoso, members from the environmental health department, information service department, MIS department, friends from the media, some invited Assembly members and other stakeholders.
All the E-TANKAS agent should report any issue concerning the environmental health using the E-TANKAS App
In attendance were the Municipal Coordinating Director (MCD) Mr. Emmanuel Gyan, Municipal police commander from Aboso and Bogoso, members from the environmental health department, information service department, MIS department, friends from the media, some invited Assembly members and other stakeholders.