30-year-old refuse heap cleared at Attakrom

Residents of Attakrom in the Akuapem South Municipality in the Eastern Region, last Tuesday, heaved a sigh of relief when a 30-year-old refuse heap in the town was cleared.

Waste management company, Zoomlion Ghana, in collaboration with the Ministry of Local Government, Decentralisation and Rural Development, evacuated the refuse, in support of the government’s Clean Ghana Initiative in the region.

According to residents of the town, the heap of refuse and its pungent smell had, in the past, also led to diseases such as cholera, typhoid fever and malaria, among others, for many years.

The residents said anytime it rained, the smell was so bad that it made it almost impossible for people to either go closer to dump refuse or pass by.

The Odikro of Attakrom, Nana Anoma Amoani, who was not happy about how the heap of refuse had been sitting in the town, said it was his request to the government that led to the evacuation of the heap of refuse.

He expressed his appreciation to the government and Zoomlion for coming to their rescue to get rid of the heap of refuse which had been a source of worry to the inhabitants of the town.

Refuse container

The Eastern Regional Coordinator of Zoomlion, Faustina Shardey, said her outfit would provide the community with a new container to dump the refuse at the same spot, and that the people would be guided as to when to empty the container.

"Since many households will be disposing of their refuse in the container daily, depending on the rate of refuse generation, our trucks will also be lifting the container to empty it daily, just like what is done in Koforidua, the regional capital.

"Zoomlion has been contracted by the government to do the job and we will do it accordingly," Mrs Shardey said.

She stressed that the ultimate objective of the government's Clean Ghana Agenda was to clean all communities and towns that had been engulfed with filth in the region.

That, according to her, would help reduce diseases such as malaria, cholera, typhoid fever and dysentery, among others.

Visits

The Akuapem South Municipal Environmental Officer, Paul Mensah, said various visits to the town revealed to him that the heap of refuse had been a health hazard to the residents.

That, he said, was why the town was chosen to have its decades-long heap of refuse cleared.

Mr Mensah commended Zoomlion and the government for helping to evacuate the heap of refuse in the town to enable residents to be free from diseases such as malaria, cholera and typhoid fever.

A resident of the town, Rahinatu Alhassan, expressed her joy that the decades-long heap of refuse had finally been removed.

"Now, we are not going to inhale the bad smell emanating from the heap of refuse, with flies hovering around it, which has also been the cause of diseases such as malaria, cholera, typhoid and dysentery," Mrs Alhassan stated.

Writer's email: haruna.wunpini@graphic.com.gh