The Accra Metropolitan Assembly (AMA) has appealed to managers of the Kpone landfill site near Tema to as a matter of urgency resume its 24-hour operation for the clearing of the filth in Accra.
There are a lot of heaps of refuse in various parts of Accra as refuse collectors do not come for them.
“As a matter of urgency the Assembly is calling on the management of the Kpone landfill site to resume its 24hr operation while the Ministry of Sanitation and Water Resources is working on additional landfill site to serve the Region,” a statement from the AMA appealed.
[contextly_sidebar id=”bhAlyYij7jG4eKTARHknA7jbt5UqOomP”]The AMA in a statement attributed the delay in collecting refuse in Accra on the challenges waste management companies face in accessing landfill sites.
The AMA explained that the Nsumia waste disposal site located within the Nsawam-Adoagyiri municipality had been closed down while the one in Kpone also has “not been in full operation since Saturday, 14th April 2018.”
“Given this, all refuse trucks directed to Kpone disposal site are experiencing abnormally long queues. The situation has been compounded by the reduction in the already short eight-hour operational period and also not working on Sundays,” the statement signed by the Head of Public Affairs AMA, Gilbert Nii Ankrah noted.
We’re doing our possible best
AMA in the statement further assured that the assembly together with the Ministry of Sanitation and Water Resources are working around the clock to ensure that the landfill sites are fully operational to bring the situation under control.
Accra according to the AMA Chief Executive, Mohammed Adjei Sowah, generates 3,000 tonnes of waste daily.
Despite the enormous amount of waste generated daily, the country relies massively on landfill sites for disposing of refuse.
AMA boss on The Point of View
Mr Sowah in an interview on The Point of View on Citi TV on Monday complained refuse collection within the metropolis has been entirely hampered because the Kpone landfill site is not operating at optimum capacity.
…It has to do with money
The Minister of Sanitation, Kofi Adda who was also on the show said they owed the landfill site some amount of money.
“One of the biggest problems we’ve had is the debt that we owe them which we are working on paying. As I said not too long ago, the government has approved through Cabinet, money to be paid to the waste landfill site managers throughout the country, not just Accra. We are processing those payments. Tomorrow morning I will be with the Ministry of Finance to get the actual figures that have been paid into the accounts,” he added.
The Kpone landfill site receives more refuse in Accra but is however expected to be closed down soon because it is has reached its maximum capacity of waste collected.
Inadequate landfill sites threaten ‘cleanest city’ agenda
The Greater Accra Regional Minister, Ishmael Ashitey, had earlier lamented that the limited waste disposal sites in the national capital were hampering government’s agenda of making Accra the cleanest city in Africa by the end of Nana Addo’s first term.
“We have only Kpone landfill site which is working. One problem we have is how to dispose of the waste. Now our waste disposal sites are not sufficient, and so we are thinking of the use of technology to manage this. So many people have come forward, and very soon, others will start turning the waste into other things. If we do so, then our cities will become cleaner,” he said.
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By: Godwin Akweiteh Allotey/citinewsroom.com/Ghana
Follow @AlloteyGodwin