Professor Kwabena Frimpong-Boateng
The Minister of Environment, Science, Technology and Innovation (MESTI) Professor Kwabena Frimpong-Boateng has given Rider Steel Company Limited a one-week ultimatum to provide the Ministry with a roadmap to address its poor pollution management.
Professor Frimpong-Boateng, said failure of the Indian owned company to sit with the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to draw a workable roadmap would lead to severe sanctions.
The minister gave the order after paying an unannounced visit to four companies in the Tema Freezone Enclave. The other companies were United Steel Company, Success Aluminium Limited and MND Metals Company Limited.
The Minister expressed disappointment at the level of pollution the company spewed into the environment as dark smoke was seen billowing with metal dust, virtually choking and reducing visibility on the factory premises.
He said his outfit had received several reports from other companies in the enclave on the consistent and reckless manner in which pollutants were emitted into the air by Rider Steel which informed his decision to pay the surprise visit after sending some officials earlier to confirm.
He said it was urgent to get the road map from them as bad smoke was being emitted from their chimney, adding that he also observed that the chamber for the melting of the metals was also faulty.
“The filtration system is not working properly and the dust from the filter is not well collected as there is a leakage in the receptacle”.
He added that “I feel like closing the factory down, but apart from seeing that they are making efforts to change the filters, we are also not in normal times because of the COVID-19, they should sit with the EPA and bring a written roadmap for the correction of all the lapses”.
He reminded them that Ghana would not compromise on the pollution of her environment and the health of workers, adding that the volume of fumes and metal dusts in and around the company could lead to lung infections among the workers.
For the United Steel, he recounted how he sent his officials there, after some reports adding that he was however impressed with what he saw as there was tremendous improvement from the reports he received.