Four persons fined GH¢ 7,200 for contaminating stream

Four persons dragged to court by the Sunyani West Municipal Assembly have been fined GH¢ 7,200.00 or serve 30 days imprisonment each for contaminating a stream. The accused are two farmers, Bawa Kwabena, Akosua Boahemaa; Ama Diana and Yaa Lamisi, traders and residents of Fiapre. They all pleaded guilty to the charge of “Dirty disposal of wastewater with offensive odour within their premises” which is contrary to section 1(A) of the Sunyani West Municipal Assembly by-law 2020. The Fiapre Circuit Court presided by Miss Rita Amoanywaa Edusah consequently convicted each of them to pay a fine of 150 penalty units, equivalent to GH¢ 1,800.00 for directing their wastewater into a local stream, ‘Atta Dei Kofi’ which serves as a source of drinking water for the people. The sentence was to serve as deterrence to others with the intention of channeling their sewages into that particular stream and others in the community, the Court explained. Mr Andrews Salifu Brimah, the Municipal Environmental Health Officer who was the prosecutor, later told the Adom News in an interview that six other culprits declined to appear before the Court though served with summons. But, he added they would be arrested with a court warrant and be arraigned. ALSO READ: Rev Kyiri Abosom sends message to Agradaa on her conversion Police officers involved in death, secret burial of inmate at Seikwa… Mr Brimah, also the National Public Relations Officer of the Environmental Health Officers Association, stressed the Assembly’s Environmental Health Unit was determined to promote good and quality environmental health and sanitation practices to protect the health and safety of residents in the Municipality. He stressed that polluting water bodies and degrading the environment generally was a punishable offence. He announced that the Unit would not renege on its inspection exercise, warning that anyone found polluting the environment in any form would be arrested to face the rigours of the law. He therefore cautioned the populace to desist from such unpatriotic acts to avoid arrest and prosecution.