RESIDENTS OF MALLAM JUCTION CONTINUE TO BATTLE THE BLIGHT OF SANITATION

The maintenance and delivery of clean, hygienic conditions that help prevents disease through services such as potable water supply, garbage collection, and safe disposal of human waste is the focal point of public health policy.

The United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) estimates that, Ghana loses in excess of over $290 million dollars annually to improper sanitation. In addition, the Joint Monitoring Programme has it that, Ghana has slipped further to seventh worst on its sanitation performance.

 The health consequences of sanitation are dire. The WHO statistics of 2004 for instance indicates that eighty-eight percent of malaria, hepatitis-A, schistosomiasis and diarrhea diseases are attributed to insanitary conditions.

Regardless of any measure towards stamping out sanitation in Ghana, such as the institution of National Sanitation Day, it must be understood that the issue remains a crucial need that has skipped majority of citizens. And when it comes to areas such as Mallam Junction and its environs, much more than health is at stake as far as sanitation is concerned.

FILTH AT MALLAM

Some concerned residents at Mallam Junction expressed their grievances about how miscreants wrongly dispose refuse at places such as gutters, behind walls of people’s houses, on the streets, just to mention but few. This according to them, chokes the gutters, creates poignant stench, leads to flood and of course disease outbreak.

This goes on even after government has constructed drains a few months ago at Mallam Junction to help curb the perennial flooding residents were battling with.  

When our news team got to the community; some distressed dwellers tried hard to piece together their ordeal. According to Madam Comfort Azerikuma, a petty trader, unscrupulous people have virtually turned her surrounding into a refuse dump. She wakes up early to get rid of the filth, yet her effort goes down the drain as others wake up earlier to stealthily throw their rubbish close to where she sells her food. She has had to battle with the distressing stench, flies, mosquitoes and sometimes flood. We felt so nauseating even as we tried hard to breathe; yet we managed to speak to a few other residents.

Our news team also chanced on some pupils who were walking through the filth to their homes. Though they were shy to speak on camera, they managed to disclose that an unoccupied plot of land, owned by someone, has been converted into a refuse dump by people living close by; and also there are others who throw faeces over a wall into a completed but uninhabited house. They pleaded that something be done about it since it breeds dangerous animals and insects.

A shop attendant, Justice Barimah Gyamfi, also indicated that there are vending shops near the gutters but can attest to the fact that, the vendors are not responsible for the improper disposal of refuse. He related that, the shop owners desilt the gutters from time to time, but the only problem is that they do not get trucks to convey the rubbish to the dump site. Eventually, their effort is rendered useless as the rubbish is swept back into the gutters either by wind or rain.

In September 2018, residents of Mallam Junction were elated at the construction of drains which sought to put an end to their perennial flooding; but one may wonder, after that breakthrough, why have they not surmounted the bane of sanitation?

Their plea is that the Ministry of Sanitation should come to their rescue; and if possible put up measures to bring back ‘Town Council” officers to deal with unscrupulous persons who litter around the community.

SOURCE: ESTHER C. KONADU YIADOM

CHINA REVERSES BAN ON STINKY IMPORTED CHEESE

An import ban on many soft and mould-ripened British cheese has been lifted by the Chinese government as authorities meet with the European Union, BBC confirms. The authorities imposed the ban in September, claiming they were not in favour with strains of bacteria used to make the cheese.

Reports show that Chinese cheesemongers have rejoiced enthusiastically at the news.

‘We are very happy about the decision. I think it’s a way for China to show they’re open-minded to selling foreign products and especially cheese,’ asserts Vincent Marion, co-founder of Cheese Republic.

KIZOMBA- SWING UP, TWIST, AND GROW HEALTHY

One typical African dance that is gaining global popularity is the Kizomba. It appears to have a committed contingent of people of all walks of life who are drawn to it by its romantic rhythm.

Kizomba originates from Angola and draws on influences from Cape Verde and the Caribbean. The term means ‘party’ in Kimbundu, one of the most dominant languages in Angola. Angolans have it that this cultural Kizomba dance has helped shape and preserved their traditional dance, the Semba.

Kizomba is very sensual. It was initially perceived to be meant for couples as a result of its swaying movements by the dancers in a close romantic embrace, but these days it has held everyone spellbound, from the youth to the aged. Accompanied by cool, harmonious and a catchy beat, dancers twist their bodies in calm, suave and suggestive ways.

Kizomba has not only become a fashion phenomenon. It has so many health benefits. It is a de-stressor and immerses one’s senses into a satisfying experience. It is an excellent form of relaxation and rest. A quality session of Kizomba dancing helps one get rid of toxins. Sweating it out amid the dancing helps tone muscles, reduce risks for coronary heart diseases, regulate blood pressure level and of course can prepare the grounds for a proactive social life, professionals of the Kizomba Zurich Institute indicate.

Little wonder it is being taught in London, Paris, New York and Johannesburg with festivals and workshops as far afield as Shanghai, Moscow, Tokyo, Mumbai and Ackland, reports indicate.

In Accra, Ghana, Kizomba lessons are conducted every Tuesday at the Republic. You could also feast your eyes or get into the mood at Afrikiko, near GBC clubhouse, on Wednesday nights as the Kizomba king and queen, Ebo and Nana, together with their crew transform the restaurant into a giant mesmerizing dance floor with their suave Kizomba performance.

APPETITE FOR CROISSANTS TAKES THE WORLD BY STORM

French pastries like croissants and pains au chocolat along with their dairy product, the main ingredient, have taken the world by storm to the point that France is now experiencing a shortage of butter.

It is alleged that publication on a long ‘how-to-piece on baking and cooking’ by the French daily newspaper Le Figaro might have been emblematic on the current crisis of butter, where demand has overtaken supply, resulting in the price of the dairy product skyrocketing by 60 percent and dairy sections of some supermarkets screaming empty.

Although industry experts say the shortage is partly due to the decrease in French milk production following a European-wide drop in yields, the main reason comes on the back of an increased global appetite for French butter and the country’s famous patisserie. Butter constitutes up to one quarter of France’s beloved croissants, pains au chocolat and brioches.

If the trend continues, bakers claim, it could pose serious problems at the end of the year, in the production of traditional French Christmas pastries.

Source: France 24