Mr Enoch Afutu, who was speaking to the Ghana News Agency, said "the issue of sanitation is a very difficult challenge in Tema Manhean and we all have to come together in to address and solve this issue."

He suggested that residents could on their own accord come together to clean filth in their immediate environs without necessarily waiting on the community leaders to organize clean up exercises.

He said it was unfortunate that many of the residents were not ready to volunteer to engage in communal labour after contributing to the worsening insanitary conditions.

According to him, when sworn into office, he and his team would encourage behavioural change among residents and subsequently get them involve in clean-up exercises as they observe good sanitation practices.

He however stated that one big challenge of organizing communal labour in the area was the unavailability of cleaning equipment and therefore pleaded with the Tema Metropolitan Assembly (TMA) offer then such tools.

Mr Afutu also noted that irregular emptying of refuse skips was a major challenge to sanitation in the area.

Residents end up pouring their refuse on the ground, saying the two skips were not enough for the large population in Abonkor, Manhean and Apantumo all within his electoral area.

He suggested that all the Assembly members for Tema Newtown  should team up and organize clean up exercises every fortnight while they push for more skips, which would be regularly emptied, to prevent the outbreak of communicable diseases in the town.

Mr Geoffery Akorli, a member of the community, also called for urgent and lasting solution to the sanitation issues in the area saying it was possible to keep the area clean as he recalled that  Manhean last stop also known as Apan tumo which was once a place full of refuse was now clean through the hard work of some residents.