President John Dramani Mahama on Friday, July 10, joined residents of Tse Addo in the Greater Accra Region to participate in the ongoing National General Clean-up Exercise aimed at improving sanitation and reducing the risk of future flooding.

The President actively took part in the exercise by helping to clear a heavily blocked drainage system, working alongside residents, security personnel and other stakeholders to remove waste and accumulated silt from the water channels.

After receiving updates from local assembly officials on the sanitation challenges in the area, President Mahama joined the community-led effort as part of measures to restore flood-affected areas and improve environmental cleanliness.

Addressing residents during the exercise, the President praised their commitment and stressed the link between poor waste disposal practices and recurring floods.

“I want to use this opportunity to thank all the residents who have come out to help with this exercise. Clearly, we can see what the cause of our problem is. We’ve just desilted this. Look at the plastics that we are taking out of it,” he said.

President Mahama said the volume of plastic waste and silt removed from the drainage system demonstrated the impact of years of improper waste management and inadequate maintenance of waterways.

He further warned against leaving removed debris and dredged materials along roads after desilting, explaining that rainfall can wash the waste back into drains and worsen flooding situations.

“I’ve gone round the city, I’ve seen the turnout has been very good,” he added.

The two-day nationwide clean-up exercise is being undertaken in seven flood-prone regions as part of the government’s post-flood intervention measures following the June 29 floods, which caused significant damage to homes, businesses and public infrastructure.

The initiative is aimed at clearing drainage channels, improving sanitation and building community resilience against future flooding.