Similarly, the residences of some key staff of the three assemblies, as well as public toilets, storm drains, communal refuse containers and dump sites in the districts benefitted from the exercise.

Undertaken by the Vector Control Unit of Zoomlion in collaboration with the Environmental Health Departments of the three assemblies, the exercise was to rid the markets of rodents that destroyed stored grains and other food items.

The markets included the Savelugu, Nanton and Diara in the Savelugu-Nanton Municipality and the Damongo and Sawla markets in the West Gonja and Sawla-Tuna-Kalba districts respectively.

The exercise

Speaking to the Daily Graphic after the exercise, the Northern Regional Vector Control Officer of Zoomlion, Mr Abdulai Abdul-Aziz Yelsuma, said the fumigation was in response to an urgent appeal made to Zoomlion by the three assemblies.

Mr Yelsuma said plans were underway to extend the disinfestation exercise to other major markets in the region to make them safe.
Safe use of pesticide

He advised the market women against the use of pesticides, saying any time they wanted to use pesticides, they must first consult experts before administering the product since its misapplication had harmful effects on humans and the environment.

Mr Yelsuma asked farmers to contact agriculture extension officers within their districts for assistance on the use of pesticides on their farms to avoid food poisoning and called for more training for farmers on the proper use of pesticides.

Beneficiaries

The environmental officers of the three beneficiary assemblies, for their part, recommended that the exercise should be done quarterly to make the markets safe.

The market women also expressed their joy for the exercise and thanked Zoomlion and their respective assemblies for making the markets safe for them.