Ashiaman and Tema face sanitation challenges

By: Rose Hayford Darko & Benjamin Xornam Glover The Ashiaman central market is experiencing mounting refuse as the large containers over flow its contents creating bad odour in the vicinity . When the Daily Graphic visited the market it was discovered that filth had engulfed the market with the containers overfilled leaving huge heaps of rubbish and some spilled around in the market . The Ashaiman Municipal Assembly is therefore confronted with sanitation challenges especially in the markets, lorry parks and even open places. Some people could be seen indiscriminately defecating in open places while dumping of refuse and excreta in open drains, choked gutters, and created pile up of accumulated garbage at dump sites in some parts of localities.

Container bay Responding to some of these challenges in an interview with the Daily Graphic at Ashaiman, the Public Relations officer of the Ashaiman Municipal Assembly, Mr Kwesi Adu-Gyemfi said currently, the assembly is constructing a permanent container bay in the main market which when completed will help solve some of the sanitation problems especially in the central market.

He said the assembly did not initially factor the construction of a refuse container bay when it was putting up the market and as a result, they had to place the huge container in the middle of the streets. He said even though the Assembly ensures that the only container is emptied regularly, the consistent overflow of refuse due to the sheer volumes of waste generated had created a dumpsite on the streets and impeding the flow of traffic. Mr Adu-Gyemfi said it was to help salvage the situation that the assembly was constructing a permanent refuse container bay inside the market to facilitate the easy collection and evacuation of waste from the Central Business District (CBD). He said the bay will be provided with a security to ensure that that refuses is not spilled on the ground. Truck pushers Mr Adu-Gyemfi mentioned the activities of truck pushers who move round the various suburbs to collect refuse as some of the set-backs undermining disposal of refuse. He explained that instead of moving to approved designated sites to dump their refuse, these truck pushers under the cover of darkness, dump their daily collections at the main market contributing to the overflow of garbage onto streets and pavements in the market. Other challenges Mr Adu-Gyemfi said was the long queue at the final disposal site at Kpone which contribute to the delay of trucks that had gone to empty their garbage. At the time of filing this report, a garbage truck was spotted carting away piled up refuse from the Ashaiman main market. The Assembly PRO appealed to individuals to act responsibly and not litter the environment. Appeal Some traders in the Ashaiman Market have called on the Assembly to clean the market and rid the place of filth more regularly. One of the traders, Madam Vida Addo said the filth that normally engulfed the market posed many dangers to not only the traders but consumers as well.,

Tema The scene at the Tema Community One Central Business District has also become a concern to residents who patronize the market area especially the area referred to as ‘Kwasea Dwaso The closure of the market refuse dumping grounds compounded the activities of garbage collectors, who used wheel barrows to collect refuse from residential areas in the vicinity of the Tema Community One Market for a fee. . It is opened only when a truck arrives to pick refuse away to the Kpone landfill site. The Kwasea Dwaso is noted for offloading of foodstuffs from the hinterland while some traders who claim to sell their wares cheap also display foodstuffs on the ground where refuse is scattered . Meanwhile the Assembly ensured that the dumping grounds is closed to use because of the irregular movement of trucks which collect and send refuse from the market dump to the Kpone land fill site . Madam Adjoa Mintah, a trader at the “Kwasea Dwaso” bemoaned the insanitary condition and particularly blamed the garbage collectors for contributing to the spilling of refuse on the streets especially near the wares. Other traders were of the view that they were losing their clients because of the filth and appealed to the Assembly to mount an exercise on the wheel barrow boys who contributed mostly in generating the filth . How ever source close to the Assembly disclosed that the Assembly was incapable to refuse contractors who helped in lifting refuse from the dumping grounds to Kpone . The source said the Assembly has a limited number of trucks which are also used to service residential areas and therefore could not meet the demand .Meanwhile the decision to close the market dump until a refuse truck arrived was to avert the dumping by the wheel barrow boys who also scattered the refuse on the street creating filth in the area .