By Jack Adom
Steve Richard, Senior Vice President Human Resources. Leading the clean-up exercise with others
Obuasi mine might have been weighed down by a host of complex challenges, but it is yet to deviate from its community and sustainable values to ensure that the people in the communities and the Ghanaian society benefit from its presence.
As part of walking its talk, the mine launched? on Thursday? ? Building an Environmentally Clean Community? programme to ensure the Obuasi Municipality and its surrounding communities are kept clean and healthy at all times.
AngloGold Ashanti officials who incubated the project said as part of its environmental policy and commitment to create awareness on the importance of a clean environment, and its relation to our health; the Obuasi mine has planned to embark on a series of clean-up campaigns in the Obuasi Municipality.
?
?The objective is to promote cleanliness at all times and also sensitize? the community on the need to take ownership and responsibility for one?s environment by cultivating the habit of conducting such regular clean up exercises in their immediate surroundings?, Gabriel Engmann, Manager Obuasi Environmental Services.
This will go a long way to rid the municipality of filth, and help reduce if not eliminate diseases that stem from poor health practices such as indiscriminate littering.
The launch took place in the form of massive clean-up of the main street of Obuasi from Anyinam to Tutuka, via Koffiekrom, Antobuasi and Zongo by AngloGold Ashanti employees and management executives.
? We want to work with all the stakeholders to keep streets and alleyways in the municipality environmentally clean, and we will to do clean – ups every two weeks?, Gabriel Engmann said.
For Opayin Kwesi Mfum, a 75 year -old resident of Obuasi, ?I am? more than happy with the programme, saying that ?we can prevent nagging infections and diseases like cholera, hepatitis, chest infections and common cold, if we clean our environment regularly. I also know that the cleaning of the main streets of Obuasi is funded by the mine?..
Kwesi Ekwan, a senior secondary school teacher, was happy that the Obuasi miners have taken such initiative and called on the municipal authorities ?to wake up from their slumber and do the same to ensure clean and healthy Obuasi?.
