Featured Article: Effects of Clean Beaches To Ghana

Sanitation should not be seen as a political tool, but should only be connected to patriotism and commitment as good citizens of our mother land Ghana.

Filth on our beaches is defined as anything considered extremely dirty, obscene or a disgusting amount of dirt. These include waste matter, dirt, grease, plastic bottles, Styrofoam, package wrappers, aluminum cans, and any other used or unwanted material that have been carelessly discarded by beach visitors.

As Ghanaians, we’ve lived in filth over decades and our beaches are of no exception. Beaches which are supposed to be serene, clean and healthy are chocked with heaps of rubbish. This is due to the fact that, households around the coastal areas are marked with unsightly heaps of rubbish and is without toilet facilities.

 As a result, these residents continue to openly defecate along the beaches, which is both unhealthy and untidy. An article on the dirt on our beaches and raw untreated latrine being dumped into the sea by Festus K. Lartey- Adjei on June 4, 2005 revealed a concern raised by Miss. Linda Schindler, an American tourist. She revealed that, she visited Ghana and the beaches were horrible. She again added that “as a matter of fact, we were eating in a nice open air restaurant in Cape Coast only to see several young men walk right in front of the restaurant, drop their pants and defecate right in front of us”

A documentary on Swedish channel 1 caused Ghana to lose revenue through an indirect advice to tourists to stay away from Ghana, due to the fact that people are still dying of filth. This Swedish program exposed the cause of this filth as a result of hypocrisy, greed, inaction and our lack of concern for the environment. 

People throw rubbish anywhere and anyhow and turn around pointing fingers to others. We continue to throw sewage and rubbish onto our beaches forgetting that we will come back on another occasion to swim and have fun on those same beaches. With our negligence, we are gradually killing our tourist attractions.

The Ministry of Fisheries and Aquaculture Development launched a project to construct toilet facilities in fishing communities on Friday, September 23, 2016 in Axim- Western Region. Sherry Ayittey, the minister for this ministry stated that, the project will be implemented in 13 selected fishing communities, which will include a 12-seated toilet with a 12-unit washroom. 

These communities include, Anto Apewosika in Axim, Abuesi and Bonyee in the Western region, Anuakpor, James Town and Kpone in the Greater Accra region, Dago, Moree and Otuam in the Central region and Akplortortor, Amutinu, Hedranuwo and Marine Matikpo in the Volta Region.

The Municipal Chief Executive (MCE) for lower Axim East, Mr. James Baidoe was very hopeful that the project will curtail open defecation especially along the beaches, keep our beaches clean and attract tourists which will earn Ghana more foreign exchange. 

Member of parliament (MP) for the area, Kweku T. Kessie said that, it was unfortunate that our beaches in the country have become defecating grounds by some recalcitrant residents along the coastal areas, and warned that, after the completion of the project, the law will deal ruthlessly with anybody who goes to desecrate our beaches.

Taking part in an annual beach clean-up is only a way to keep our seas healthy for generations to come. This will help curb the rate of polluting the ocean as our beaches support the health of the ocean. When these pollutants get into the sea, marine wildlife can easily mistake the trash for food. An example of this is with sea turtles. When they see plastic bags floating on the ocean, they mistake it for jelly fish before swallowing it. The plastic prevents the turtle from eating, causing it to slowly starve itself to death.

The world is surrounded by about 70% of water, which provides seafood for local residents and the world at large. Debris along the beaches can create problems for marine wildlife and people may end up losing their source of livelihood. Most men and women along the coast earn their living by providing us with seafood. These sea foods are used up by food vendors and restaurants in food preparation hence, increasing the country’s GDP.

Most recently, a variety of fish and other sea foods have been found to have high levels of mercury in them. This is as a result of pollutants with mercury poisoning in them. Eco Watch explained that, tuna is one of the fish that humans ingest that has a lot of mercury in them. It was further established that high exposure of mercury to humans can lead to insanity. Cleaning our beaches frequently can help reduce this problem as we do not need more insane people in the world.

Our beaches are not just an attraction for vacationers but a nesting ground and a habitat for wildlife. Pollutants in the water and on the shores are an eye sore. They affect the lives of both humans and marine wildlife as well as the economy of the country. By partaking in these annual beach clean-ups, it will reduce marine debris in the seas, allowing wildlife to remain safe from pollution. It will also contribute to creating a healthier beach environment as well as protecting the region’s coastline and hence attracting more tourists, and increasing foreign revenue. 

Written by Desmond Asomaning
(President, Ghana Association of Tourism Students)