SAFETY MECHANISMS TO ENSURE GOOD SANITATION ALONG THE BEACH.

In my previous articles, I discussed sanitation along the beach where I emphasized much on the causes of poor sanitation along the beach, its effects, preventive measures, and the benefits of maintaining good sanitation along the beach. In this very article, I am putting across safety mechanisms to help maintain good sanitation along the beach.

Firstly, most beaches if not all, should be paid for at a minimum fee of Ghc 2 before one can use the place. When this is done, it will give so much value to those beaches and will attract more people including tourists. The money accrue from this can be used to put the place in good shape, put up a security gate or entrance and fix lights all over the beaches to make the beaches very beautiful, clean, and attractive.

a well built entrance to pay a fee before one enters the labadi beach .

Also the government should set up security agencies at the beaches to serve as watchdogs. These security personnel will be in charge of the beaches 24 hours to ensure that the beaches are not littered or turned into refuse dumps and a place of convenience. In addition to this, Closed Circuit Television (CCTV) cameras can be used at the various beaches to ensure security of the beaches. The CCTV and other security cameras will deter people from doing the wrong thing and also, will send a message about how serious the government is, on the issue of sanitation along the beach. Severe penalties will be meted out on offenders.

indoor CCTV camera set at the beach.

outdoor CCTV camera set at the beach.

In addition to this, there should be a massive and extensive public education on good sanitation along the beaches. This should be done purposely for residents along the beaches as a way of enlightening them on the need to adopt and practice community watch.  The adoption and practice of community watch along the beach can help instill self discipline and promote public awareness and the involvement of everybody to help preserve attractiveness of our beaches and to enhance healthy lives, the potential of recreation, tourism and income generating opportunities.

Finally, individuals can take upon themselves to run beaches as businesses than to leave them in the hands of the government only. The government has so many projects to undertake therefore, individuals who take upon themselves to run some of these beaches will help maintain good sanitation along the beaches. Running some of these beaches will aim at profit making. Hence, appropriate measures will be put in place for people to patronize them. Attached to the beach sites can be hotels, restaurants, night clubs, live shows and so many interesting and entertaining avenues and activities. All these in one way or the other can help the state generate revenue for the development and betterment of the country, Mother Ghana.

BENEFITS OF GOOD SANITATION ALONG THE BEACH.

In recent times, hang outs at the beaches are becoming more in Accra than visiting other places of interest such as the zoo, the water falls, the mountains, travelling, castles and museums, among others but the question is, which of the beaches are most patronized? Just few of the beaches in Accra are patronized. There are so many beaches here in Accra but just the few clean ones are well patronized and they include Labadi Pleasure beach, Kokrobite beach, Bojo beach and Titanic beach These beaches are flourishing all in the name of the maintenance of good sanitation. Comparing the Gold coast beach (Bola beach) and the James town beach with the Labadi Pleasure beach is ridiculous I must say. My visit to the Bola beach and Jamestown beach was an eyesore whereas the Labadi pleasure beach was splendid and I wish all beaches were like that.  Maintenance of good sanitation along beach is the secret of Labadi pleasure beach and other few beaches which many beaches in Accra are lacking.  My personal lists of the benefits of maintaining good sanitation along the beaches are as follow;

 The very first benefit of good sanitation along the beach is good health which has been the cry 

of everybody. A clean beach environment will not pose threat to the residents along the beach, the people of Accra and the country at large. With this, it does not bring about diseases but rather promotes good health and healthy life making life more comfortable and secured with sickness free environment.

The beach is basically known for its favorite place for leisure, pleasure, relaxing, swimming, entertainment and the likes. According to an environmental health expert J Aaron Hipp PhD, the beach offers more restorative benefits to people than the gyms, entertainment venues and the built urban environments. This implies that the beach offers more than we can think of, well, maybe most of us don’t know this but then one cannot acquire these restorative benefits of the beach when it is in a damn mess. How will one feel if faeces and rubbish are over the beach whiles going there for the purpose of leisure? Of course, you wouldn’t like to stay longer and if it continues like that, I don’t think you will find it save to patronize that beach ever again.

Also, a well kept beach environment attracts tourists into the country. Tourism is a positive impact on the development of the economy of every country which serves as a source of revenue to the state. It should be noted that most tourist love to experience the serene nature of Accra beaches. Therefore, when tourists come around and are not satisfied with the beaches they visit, they might probably not stay longer and this will be a loss to the state. Dirty beach makes it unsuitable spot for tourists looking for a place to relax therefore, it is a must to maintain clean beaches in Accra and Ghana at large in order to attract more tourists and investors so the state can accrue revenue from them.

Finally, maintaining good sanitation along the beaches tend to create job opportunity for people. This is because, a well kept beach such as Labadi Pleasure beach  and Kokrobite beach make it well organized as well thereby, attracting more people and tourists. People get the chance to do businesses 

 at the beaches such as kebab sellers, variety of foods and drinks sold, African wear  and artifacts, horse riders, guitar players, snookers tables, DJ’s and other activities that people can do to earn a living. This in one way or the other helps to reduce the problem of unemployment and social vices in Accra and the country at large. With the benefits listed above, I will urge each and everyone to help keep our beaches clean. We shouldn’t leave it on the municipal assemblies, district assemblies or the government alone but rather we all owe social responsibilty to change the ugly pictures of most of our beaches in Accra and the country at large. Let’s have fun but let’s pay more attention to sanitation along the beach environment to the betterment of all.

                                                                                            

maintaining clean and sanitized beach promotes employment.

PREVENTION OF POOR SANITATION ALONG THE BEACH

While many parts of the world are improving sanitation in their achievement in sustainable environment practices, Ghana is still struggling with basic environment challenges such as poor sanitary conditions of our beaches. Talking about sanitation along the beach and sanitation at large is no new thing to Ghanaians. This article seeks to remind Ghanaians on what we need to do to prevent poor sanitation along the beach because, day in and out,  number of measures are being put in place to maintain good sanitation in the country.

 Over 20 percent of the population still lack access to toilets and rubbish dumps which has resulted in people openly defecating along the beaches and using the beaches and shore as rubbish dumps. These are as a result of not having toilet and proper waste disposal managements in their homes. Therefore, the government must help beach dwellers because they are forced to use the beaches as place of convenient and rubbish dumps. But then, landlords are also expected to provide toilets and proper waste disposals for their households and tenants. Again, landlords and households should team up with the waste collectors (zoom lions) to get rubbish bins so that their wastes will be properly managed.

public toilet

household toilet

Massive and thorough education must be done to create awareness and inform Ghanaians especially beach dwellers. They need to be educated on the need to practice good sanitary conditions along the beaches and the repercussions involved. As the saying goes, “when persuasion fails, force is applied”. This brings in mind the introduction of law enforcement for the education to materialize the education given on sanitation to the betterment of all. Offenders must be fined and prosecuted to deter others from doing same.

Avoid dumping of waste along the beach

Finally, Ghanaians especially, beach dwellers should have a change of attitudes towards the way they pollute the beaches if not, no amount of facilities provided with our own taxes will benefit us. The zoil are doing their possible best to keep our beaches clean but all to no avail. The best solution to this, is to help stop pollute the beaches and not only pay attention to sanitation  in our homes..

Dustbins for household

proper waste disposal

In conclusion, Ghanaians especially beach dwellers owe it to us, our children, and future generations to change our mindset and practices that pollutes our beaches. Cleanliness as they say is next to Godliness, therefore it pays to maintain a clean beach environment.

EFFECTS OF POOR SANITATION ALONG THE BEACH

Lately much concern is given to the poor sanitary conditions of the cities, towns and homes leaving the sanitary condition of the beaches unattended to. Many sanitary conditions of our beaches are eyesores and a big shame as such.  Talking about the poor sanitation and dirt in Accra and Ghana at large is tantamount to talking about the poor sanitation of our beaches.“Charity they say begins at home”, if people can keep their homes clean,there wouldn't be any evolving Ghanaian drop-as you-go attitude that will lead to the high level of dirt in the beaches.We seem to lose our sense of virtue of keeping our beaches clean as we litter our beaches without a wince. The sense of community and self- help spirit has given way to an I- don’t care spirit. I keep asking myself if these people have ever once in their life considered the effects of poor sanitation along the beach? Sanitation goes with health and happiness and it is most at times associated with health hazards and we have heard a lot about on different occasions. Therefore, this article tends to remind Ghanaians about the effects of poor sanitation along the beach

First and foremost, poor sanitation along the beach pollutes the environment and atmosphere and this inevitably leads to the outbreak of diseases such as cholera, diarrhoea, typhoid malaria and other perilous diseases which have claimed many precious lives of the past and still claiming the lives of many poor children and adults. And this goes along way to retard economic development since a lot of money is wasted by the government in treating these diseases yearly and I think we are paying dearly for our behavioural constraints.

 

Rubbish deposited along the coast leads to the outbreak of diseases

Another great effect of poor sanitation along the beach is loss of revenue to the state.  If Ghana wants to attract investors, world class brains, tourists, host international programmes and events then our beaches should be kept clean. One will ask what this has got to do with tourists, investors and the like. Tourism and the likes have a competitive advantage and a huge source of revenue which can be accrued from all beaches and not only Labadi beach and other few clean beaches in Accra and Ghana at large. Do you think a tourist will like to be at bola beach or James town beach when these beaches do not meet one of the essential catalysts- environmental cleanliness? Definitely, no. this has made so many beaches no go areas which could have be a good source of revenue to the state. But rather huge money is given out to organizations such as Zoom lion and Zoil to keep these places clean with no benefit to the state hence causing financial loss to the state.

Low patronage of beaches due to poor sanitary condition

Dirty beaches does not attract tourists

Finally, much of the liquid wastes deposited in the sea contain poisonous substances hence causing harm to the aquatic animals. Beach is not all about swimming and relaxing,on the other hand, some beaches are used for fishing expeditions such as the Jamestown beach. Therefore when these harmful liquid wastes get into the sea, it tends to make it dangerous for one to feed on the fishes from that sea. In addition to this,poisonous liquid wastes in the sea sometimes result in the death of fishes and other animals in the sea. A typical example is the recent incident at Jomoro district where a mysterious creature appeared on Asanta beach resulting in a disturbing stench which to pollutedthe atmosphere and a health threat to the residents along that beach and neighbouring towns.

Fish obtained from polluted sea is harmful to our health

In conclusion, as the saying goes “cleanliness is next to godliness” our beaches must be given good sanitation for a good health, accrue revenue to the state and attract tourists for economic development in the country to the betterment of all citizens. Ghanaians must revive the spirit of self- help since the government cannot clean all beaches in Accra and Ghana as a whole.