The Accra Metropolitan Assembly (AMA) has announced that the June edition of the National Sanitation Day clean-up exercise will be held on Saturday, June 6, 2026, with a major focus on desilting drains and clearing choked waterways to help mitigate flooding across the capital.
Dubbed “Operation Free Choked Drains,” the exercise will be carried out simultaneously across all sub-metros, electoral areas, markets, lorry parks, communities, business districts and other public spaces within the Accra metropolis.
The announcement comes in the wake of recent heavy rains that triggered flooding in parts of Accra, causing damage to properties, disrupting movement and heightening concerns over the city’s drainage system as the rainy season intensifies.
In a statement signed by the Head of Public Affairs of the AMA, Gilbert Nii Ankrah, the Assembly said the exercise forms part of ongoing efforts to improve environmental sanitation, safeguard public health, prevent flooding and encourage collective responsibility in maintaining a cleaner city.
According to the statement, activities for the day will include the desilting and clearing of drains, removal of refuse from market centres, clearing of blocked waterways, sweeping of streets and public spaces, cleaning of road curbs and general sanitation activities within communities across the metropolis.
The Assembly stressed that no trading activities would be permitted during the clean-up exercise. Shops, stalls, table-top businesses and hawking activities are expected to remain suspended until sanitation activities have been completed.
The AMA explained that the decision to prioritise drains and waterways is necessary due to the increasing threat of flooding during the peak rainy season, noting that blocked drains remain one of the major causes of flooding in the city.
The Assembly therefore called on residents, traders, transport operators, food vendors, religious organisations, corporate institutions, youth groups and community-based organisations to actively participate in the exercise.
It further warned that enforcement teams would be deployed across the metropolis, and individuals who refuse to participate, obstruct the exercise or engage in trading activities during the clean-up period risk arrest, prosecution before the sanitation court, fines or other sanctions under existing bye-laws.
The AMA also urged residents to stop indiscriminate dumping of refuse into drains, waterways and open spaces, describing the practice as a major contributor to flooding, environmental pollution and disease outbreaks.
Assembly Members have meanwhile been directed to lead sanitation activities within their electoral areas to ensure effective community mobilisation and participation.
The Assembly emphasised that preventing flooding in Accra requires a collective effort, adding that the success of the exercise will depend largely on public cooperation, discipline and a sustained commitment to keeping drains and waterways free from waste.
