Kumasi — THE MAYOR of Kumasi, Samuel Sarpong, has taken a swipe at residents of the metropolis who constantly complain about the issue of filth in the city, describing them as nation wreckers.

Mr. Sarpong says residents who go about complaining that there was filth in the city are only making unnecessary noise because the Kumasi Metropolitan Assembly (KMA) under his reign had dealt adequately with the issue of waste in the metropolis.

"When you see few heaps of wastes around, then you say Kumasi is engulfed in filth, I want to tell such people that they are nation wreckers," the mayor charged.

The mayor's assertion may, however, be disputed by many residents in the metropolis, most of whom have had to endure with the effects of poor waste collection and management both in their communities and the Central Business District.

Mr. Sarpong, who was speaking at the launch of the Ashanti Regional Sanitation Task Force, initiated by Zoomlion Alliance, a subsidiary of Zoomlion Ghana Limited, however, contended that the issue of waste management has been one of the major priorities of the KMA and that much improvement has been made compared to the past.

He noted that waste management was a collective responsibility, stressing that residents must cultivate the habit of keeping their environments clean and ensuring high level of personal hygiene rather than waiting for the assembly to come and do it.

Residents in the city have for a long time been grappling with the problem of waste. Heaps of solid wastes are often left uncollected in the central business districts such as Adum, Kejetia and Central Market with their attendant unpleasant smells and environmental related diseases.

It is estimated that about 17% of the total expenditure of the Kumasi Metropolitan Assembly is invested in managing waste in the city but it appears not much results have been achieved.