The Environmental Health Director of the Agortime-Ziope District of the Volta Region, Millicent Mensah has urged women in the district to play a pivotal role in maintaining cleanliness and hygiene in their communities. 

According to her, considering women’s decision-making roles in household purchasing, management and disposal of waste, they are key actors whose positive attitudes would lead to a more favourable environmental behaviour to ensure cleanliness in the district.

She was addressing the people of Agortime-Ziope district during a clean up exercise aimed at improving sanitation and cleanliness in the area.

"Women play a key roles as forms the majority of consumer purchase decisions for their families and as primary cooks, caregivers, and shoppers, they must take up the responsibility of cleaning their environment by engaging in good sanitation practices and educating their households to improve sanitary conditions and hygiene. Adding that, Women are crucial agents of change and I want to urge all women to make critical contributions, take charge and help us make Agortime-Ziope District clean,” she said.

She believed that this will prevent the major flooding experienced recently in the district and the region. 

She stressed that a clean and healthy environment is the best guarantee of good health, hence the need for women to take charge and lead the fight against indiscriminate dumping of refuse, open defecation, among others. 

“Keeping our environments clean is a very important thing to do and as women, we are supposed to take up the fight and ensure that our homes, markets, workplaces are kept clean to prevent the outbreak of communicable diseases," she said. 

She indicated that the district had embarked on several interventions as part of efforts to ensure and help improve the sanitation conditions in the district and encouraged residents to be responsible to complement efforts to improve sanitary conditions in Agortime-Ziope.

Mrs Mensah also used the opportunity to sensitize traders at the Ziope Market about the need to prioritize environmental cleanliness and sanitation.

She cautioned that the Assembly would not hesitate to prosecute anyone caught dumping waste indiscriminately.

Meanwhile, the District Chief Executive, Alfred Klu-Odikro urged the residents to always support the efforts of the government to keep the environments clean and healthy.

The Assemblyman for Ziope Electoral area, Seth Dorvlo, on his part, appealed to the residents to always ensure they come out to participate in the activities to keep the environment clean.

He also commended the residents for their readiness to keep the environment clean but participating in the exercise. 

Some of the participants also expressed their readiness to support government's effort in keeping the country clean.