The construction of a thousand cubic meter capacity Waste Water Treatment Plant (WWTP) is expected to end the indiscriminate disposal of liquid waste in Kumasi and other areas in the Ashanti Region.
The absence of a waste treatment facility in the Ashanti Region has led to the discharge of liquid waste generated within the region into open water bodies.
A shift flow diagram examining the faecal sludge management in the city of Kumasi showed that faecal sludge treatment is grossly inadequate to treat the sludge.
This has often caused breeding of sanitation diseases, causing organisms including house flies and blow flies.
Residents living around Dompoase and adjoining communities have often blamed city authorities for failing to ensure the proper disposal of liquid waste generated within the region.
The construction of the facility at Adagya in the Bosomtwi District of the Ashanti Region is a partnership between the Hungarian Exim Bank and Jospong Group of Companies.
The first phase of the project includes designing and construction of sewage septic waste facility to help waste generated within the Ashanti Region.
It will also use the best materials to come out with a modern waste facility in the design and construction of sewerage and wastewater treatment plants, as well as solid waste recycling plants.
The facility will be managed by the Sewerage Ghana Limited, a subsidiary of the Jospong Group of Companies which focuses on the provision of liquid waste treatment technologies.
The project which is due to be completed in 18 months cost 13 million Euros.
It will also comprise an e-waste facility and a plastic recycling facility.
The Ministry of Sanitation and Water Resources believes the establishment of such facilities is critical to the attainment of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
Deputy Minister for Sanitation and Water Resources Micheal Gyato said the project when completed will add onto the existing sanitation infrastructure to stop open defecation in a more sustainable way.
“I am told that currently, liquid waste generated within the region is discharged into open water bodies due to the lack of treatment facility to treat it. This, therefore, makes the construction of this state-of-the-art, fully customized Wastewater Treatment Plant (WWTP) in Kumasi a very strategic critical project,” he noted
Executive Chairman of the Jospong Group of companies, Dr Joseph Siaw Agyapong said the project when completed will provide jobs for indigenes within the Ashanti Region.
“This sod-cutting ceremony of the Water Waste Treatment Plant project here in Kumasi today will create employment for 200 people. The facility will also generate employment for 800 people,” he disclosed
He added that the plant will be able to process more than a 1000m3 of wastewater daily.
According to him, the treatment process will begin with the mechanical treatment, followed by the biological treatment, then to the sludge treatment and finally the disinfection phase.
Dr Siaw Agyapong indicated the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST) and other Universities in West Africa can use the facility as a research center.
Deputy State Secretary for Export Development at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Hungary, Istvan Joo says the plants will address the sanitation challenges in Kumasi and the Ashanti Region.
He said the partnership between Ghana and Hungary must not be limited only to sanitation, but must also be extended to the Agric sector to boost socio-economic development.
The ceremony brought together Ministers of state, Metropolitan, Municipal and District Chief Executives (MMDCEs), traditional and religious leaders.
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By: Hafiz Tijani| citinewsroom.com | Ghana