The Kumasi Metropolitan Assembly (KMA), in partnership with Zoomlion Ghana Limited, has launched a comprehensive sanitation campaign aimed at preventing flooding and supporting the government’s efforts to promote a cleaner, healthier environment. The initiative forms part of broader national efforts to reduce the impact of flooding and improve waste management in the rainy season.The campaign mobilises residents, assembly officials, and corporate stakeholders to clear choked drains, desilt gutters, weed overgrown areas, fumigate public spaces, and manage solid waste in critical commercial hubs and neighbourhoods across Kumasi.The extensive, city-wide clean-up exercise was conducted in areas including Bantama Market, the Airport Roundabout, Asebi, Adeambra, Asokwa, and other flood-prone communities identified by KMA’s Works and Disaster Prevention departments.Officials say the focus is on drains and gutters that have been blocked by plastic waste and silt, which often cause water to overflow during heavy rains.Addressing the media during the exercise, the Managing Director of Zoomlion Ghana Limited, Mrs. Doris Kweikwor Adjei, said the clean-up was prompted by recent flooding in the Greater Accra Region that claimed over 30 lives and displaced thousands of people.According to her, the premier waste management and environmental sanitation company was saddened by the tragedy. As part of its corporate social responsibility, Zoomlion decided to intervene proactively to help prevent a similar occurrence in Kumasi and other regions.“We are taking lessons from Accra and acting early so that Kumasi and other regions do not experience the same scale of destruction. For that reason, this exercise, organised in collaboration with KMA, marks the beginning of our nationwide intervention,” she said. Mrs. Adjei added that Zoomlion would deploy additional equipment, including septic tank emptiers, skip trucks, and street sweepers, to support various metropolitan, municipal and district assemblies (MMDAs) for clean-up activities on National Sanitation Day and beyond.She stressed that sustainable sanitation requires consistent action, not just one-off exercises, and called for a shared responsibility among citizens, government, and other stakeholders.“The burden cannot rest on government alone. We must act now to prevent further loss of life, destruction of property, and displacement due to flooding. Every household must take responsibility for proper waste disposal and desilting drains around their homes,” she urged.Mrs. Adjei pledged Zoomlion’s commitment to supporting the government through awareness creation and the provision of logistics to ensure that its National Sanitation initiative achieves its purpose.The Mayor of Kumasi, Richard Ofori Agyemang Boadi, commended Zoomlion for its swift intervention in the city’s sanitation drive.He announced that the Metropolitan Assembly taskforce will, effective Monday, 6 July 2026, embark on a sanitation summons initiative targeting households across the cityAccording to him, notices on the exercise have already been issued to the public, urging residents to clean their homes and surroundings.The Mayor said he expects full compliance from residents and warned that offenders would be arrested and prosecuted.“Beginning Monday, we will commence the sanitation summons initiative. We have already engaged the public, especially residents of Manhyia South, specifically Dichemso, on this. I urge everyone to take part in sanitation. This exercise will be stricter than any we have done before. Anyone arrested will be prosecuted on the same day,” he stated.Speaking during a monitoring tour of the sanitation exercise, the Ashanti Regional Minister, Dr. Frank Amoakohene, reiterated that the 50% cash reward for reporting indiscriminate dumping of refuse remains in force.He said the reward scheme and the initiative to curb illegal waste disposal and reduce flooding in the region are yielding results.He also noted that all whistleblowers who reported cases under the program have received their rewards as promised.“Every whistleblower has been compensated. The system is working and we will continue to pay anyone who provides credible information leading to the arrest of offenders,” he said.The Regional Minister also disclosed that perpetrators caught dumping waste illegally have been prosecuted, with some already sentenced to jail terms ranging from 14 to 30 days.He stressed that the regional coordinating council and the Kumasi Metropolitan Assembly will not relent in efforts to keep communities clean and prevent flooding during the rainy season.Dr. Amoakohene urged residents to take ownership of their environment and use the reporting channels to help deal with persons who continue to flout sanitation laws.