THE MUNICIPAL Chief Executive (MCE) of the Ga East Municipal Assembly within the Greater Accra Region has urged the adoption of what he termed as the inter-sectoral approach to waste management in Ghana.
John Kwao Sackey made the call in an interview with journalists on the sidelines of a fumigation exercise undertaken by Waste Landfill Company Limited on Thursday at Abokobi, within the municipality.
The exercise was intended to control houseflies and stench that had engulfed the community as a result of a landfill site within the area that is managed by the Waste Landfills Company, an entity under the Zoom Group of Companies.
The 6.5 acre size land dumping site, DAILY GUIDE learnt, presently receives only a sizable amount of waste generated in homes and smaller markets, while majority of the waste is sent to places such as Tema. 15 trucks or 300 tons of waste are allowed onto the site daily.
According to the MCE, it was about time the various state agencies, departments and ministries collaborated in the management of waste in Ghana.
That, he said, is the best way to go in managing the poor sanitation situation in the country.
“The sanitation issue is a national problem and we should all get on board,” the MCE said.
He observed that the Ministries of Petroleum and Energy; Tourism, Culture and Creative Arts could benefit immensely from the sanitation subsector.
The Ministry of Petroleum and Energy, for instance, he said, could invest in generating energy from waste being produced in the country.
New Site
Mr. Sackey disclosed that the Assembly had found a new 43 acres of land at La – Nkwantanang within the Municipality for dumping refuse.
He said the company (name withheld) that is expected to manage the new site is waiting for certification from the Electricity Company of Ghana (ECG) as, he claimed, the company intends to turn the wastes into energy.
.On his part, the Municipal Environmental Health Officer of Ga East Municipal Assembly, Derick Tata Anku explained that waste management is capital intensive and the assemblies alone cannot manage it.
He appealed to residents to support the assemblies by adopting positive attitude to sanitation and the environment.
Meanwhile, Operations Manager of Waste Landfills Company Limited, Omane Mensah Richard told journalists that once a week, his outfit sprays the Abokobi landfill site as well as the entire Abokoki community after every three months.
With calls from residents and the Assembly to increase the number of times the company sprays the community, Mr. Mensah Richard said the company shall do all it takes to meet the needs of residents in Abokobi and its environs whose health is at risk due to the stench being generated from the dumping site.
Some residents speaking to the press expressed their frustrations at the continuous presence of the landfill site in the town; calling on government to shut it down.
BY Melvin Tarlue