Zoomlion Ghana Limited has commenced a disinfestation and fumigation exercise across all 33 Municipal and District Assemblies in the Eastern Region. The exercise, which started last Friday (August 21), is expected to end on September 30.
The exercise is being carried out by the Vector Control Unit of the company in collaboration with the assemblies. It forms part of Zoomlion's corporate social responsibility (CSR) to prevent outbreaks of cholera, malaria, typhoid and other infections following the recent floods that affected some communities in the region.
The mass spraying exercise is focused on markets, lorry parks, places of convenience, refuse container sites and containers, particularly during the rainy season, to reduce disease-causing organisms in such places. It is also aimed at eliminating pathogens, controlling disease vectors and restoring safe conditions in all flood-affected places in the region. Such an intervention has become critical to preventing waterborne diseases.
Briefing the media to kick-start the exercise at Agartha Market in Koforidua, the Eastern Regional Manager of Zoomlion, Cynthia Gbadago, said the exercise was in response to the floods which hit the entire country, especially the Eastern Region, to prevent waterborne diseases. She however indicated that the company realised the environment had been contaminated, hence the exercise, which she stated was the company's corporate social responsibility to make the affected communities safe for the people.
Gbadago stated that the company had already educated people, especially market women and residents, on the exercise to ensure that food and drinking water were properly covered. She further explained that after fumigation, people should allow between four and six hours to elapse before re-entering such places. Mrs Gbadago advised the people in the communities to protect their environment, particularly on how to properly dispose of refuse. She also asked them not to dump refuse indiscriminately within the environment to help prevent disease outbreaks in the region.
For his part, the Eastern Regional Environmental Officer, Prince Osei Kissi, lauded Zoomlion, which had been a partner of the assemblies, for its support for the exercise. He gave the assurance that his outfit would continue to support the company to carry out the exercise to render the communities free from waterborne diseases.
At the Agartha Market in Koforidua, a trader, Georgina Agbesi, was hopeful that the fumigation exercise would get rid of harmful insects like mosquitoes and cockroaches, as well as rodents such as mice, in the market. Another trader at the market, Afia Adutwumwaa, appealed to the government to provide places of convenience and also prevent the place from flooding whenever it rained heavily. The two traders expressed their appreciation to Zoomlion and the assemblies for the fumigation exercise.
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