The Minister for Sanitation and Water Resources, Madam Cecilia Abena Dapaah, has urged the people of Birim Central Municipality in the Eastern Region to desist from activities that destroy the Birim River.

Addressing a durbar after inspecting a water treatment plant at Ada, a suburb of Akyem Oda on Tuesday, the minister bemoaned the pollution of Birim River and other water bodies as a result of illegal mining activities.

According to her, the government has been forced to spend huge sums of money to treat the Birim River due to its pollution by illegal miners else the people of Akyem Oda would have been denied safe drinking water.

She therefore advised the people to monitor and report illegal miners to the appropriate authorities.

On the issue of sanitation, the minister said the government through the Ministry has rolled out plastic refuse containers distribution policy as a measure to control the littering of refuse in public places.

She said the implementation of this policy has helped to reduce cholera cases in beneficiary communities.

She explained that proper management of waste would not only keep the environment clean, but also reduce government expenditure and urged the people to acquire plastic refuse containers.

The minister however, bemoaned the phenomenon of some people stealing plastic containers government has donated to their communities and admonished the residents of Akyem Oda to refrain from such unpatriotic acts.

On her part, the Municipal Chief Executive (MCE) of Birim Central, Mrs, Victoria Adu, advised the people to desist from dumping refuse into water bodies, something she said, could cause flooding to destroy lives and properties.