“Accra, is very dirty and posing a lot of health hazards to the citizenry. The biggest vision I have got is to see how to tackle this problem,” Greater Accra Regional Minister, Ishmael Ashitey, said when he took his turn at the vetting of regional minister-designates last week.
Mr. regional Minister, indeed, Accra is not only dirty but very very dirty. The minister’s admission of the filthy condition of Accra is no news at all. It is common knowledge that Accra is dirty and sometimes some of its vicinities stink so bad. What is however, becoming increasingly worrying is the rate at which the garbage keeps pilling up at places they are not supposed to be. Even at places where refuse containers are located sight of them is nothing to write home about, which situation leaves slush and stink.
Listening further to Mr. Ishmael Ashitey, he said Accra generates about three thousand (3000) metric tonnes of garbage daily. Out of this daily generation of garbage, the minister points out that the city authority (obviously referring to Accra Metropolitan Assembly-AMA) collects 2,500 metric tonnes, leaving a deficit of 500 metric tonnes. The question is where do this 500 metric tonnes of solid wastes generated in Accra go? Perhaps this deficit of 500 metric tonnes of garbage is the ones that find their way into our drains, gutters among others. Or even perhaps they are the garbage dumped at illegal sites. The result of this is the floods that we experience, especially in the rainy season, which come with its attendant effects of outbreak of diseases like cholera.
A few weeks ago I observed something I felt was indeed very insulting. The side of the railway at Avenor near the defunct M Plaza Bus Terminal at Circle in Accra, was nearly turned into a refuse dump. Here all manner of solid wastes were dumped there as if nobody cared. Almost on a daily basis one will see fresh garbage being dumped there. It was done with so much impunity that one wondered whether the city authority—Accra Metropolitan Assembly (AMA) had approved of the place to be used as a dumping site. Some inquisitions done by me revealed that there were even people stationed there to collect fees from various garbage trucks including tricycles which came there to dump refuse.
Shockingly, the residents Avenor did not see the need to complain which suggested that they were okay with what was going on. That also meant that they were oblivion of the dangers that the mounds of garbage posed to them. It took a series of publications by Today and some media houses to compel them to stop. And this is how it often starts and before one realises it has become something gargantuan with its adverse effects.
On Tuesday, February 9, 2017 Today, a daily newspaper based in Accra, published a front page story with the headline: Garbage Engulfs Ho Lorry Station. According to the said news item, the Ho Lorry Central Lorry Station in the Volta Region was gradually being turned into a refuse dump. The story attributed the rather worrying situation to the Ho Municipal Assembly (HMA) shirking its responsibility and seeing to it that it deals with the heaps of garbage that was piling up at the station.
The fact is many of such cases abound, especially in the regional capitals. The refuse piling up phenomenon is found in places including markets, lorry stations, on the shoulders of highways, under footbridges among others.
The minister shared with the Appointments Committee how he intends to address the filth canker in Accra. He explained that he will collaborate with the sanitation and water resources minister to ensure that the deficit of 500 metric tonnes of garbage is addressed. Although not a bad proposal, Diary of Ananse wants to tell the minister bluntly that his solution is not adequate enough.
Mr. Minister you should be mindful of the fact that a lot of solutions have been suggested towards fighting filth in Accra yet our capital city continues to grapple with the problem. The somehow last solution we heard towards this problem was the launch of the National Sanitation Day (NSD) which initiative was championed by the Mahama-led administration. What did we see of this initiative? The publicity about the NSD was good. We were all whipped in line to ensure its success. The enthusiasm showed by Ghanaians initially was great and Ghanaians really bought into the initiative.
Also we cannot dispute the fact that the NSD did not make any progress albeit not the impact we all expected to see in our various localities. The fact that today memories of the National Sanitation Day initiative have since ebbed into oblivion is a testament to the failure of this one-time laudable programme. So Mr. Minister, you have a herculean or may I say a gargantuan task ahead of you so far as ridding Accra of filth is concerned. And please Mr. Minister whatever workable solutions to Accra filth you have must not be limited to the central business district (CBD) of the capital city; it must trickle down to the local level where more waste is generated.
Causes of filth in Accra
One may ask what causes Accra to become so dirty that sometimes we walk various corners of the capital city and we are compelled to help ourselves by holding our breath or covering our noses with handkerchiefs. The fact is that a multiplicity of factors account for the filth in Accra, key among which is our attitude. One must be blunt and say it as it is that the Ghanaian attitude towards the environment is shameful and disgracing. We care very little of our environs that we see nothing wrong in littering about indiscriminately. We find nothing wrong when we practice open defecation. We see it as normal to desecrate our beaches which otherwise if well managed could rake in some foreign exchange for the development of our country.
There is also the lack of adequate waste bins in most parts of Accra. In advanced countries waste bins have been placed in such a way that one can dump any disposal item in. That is a culture that they have imbibed for years. Yes there some waste bins in Accra but the question is are they enough and have they been strategically positioned to encourage people to dump into their pure water sachets, Voltic plastic rubbers, takeaways among others? I believe this question needs no answer.
Clearly, the waste bins in Accra are inadequate and on top of it is the fact that their positions are not strategic enough. That in itself has become a reason for many of us to be littering about, because then when we are asked we can say that there are no waste bins around. But even if there are no waste bins in place must we be making Accra dirty?
The other factor is the lack enforcement of our sanitation bye-laws and the delay in picking up refuse containers which are full. The problem with Ghana is that we have passed very good laws but are unable to enforce them. I believe the object for making laws is to ensure that people do what is right. The laws are also there to prevent people from committing crimes. Thus what is the essence of having laws and not enforcing them? Thus it is as good as not having them at all. The timely disposal of refuse loaded with garbage to the brim is also a contributory factor. The delay accounts for the spillover of garbage at places where these containers have been located.
We can solve the sanitation problem in Accra by actively involving all residents in the capital city. We often fail because it is seen as a government issue. Obviously, that government-business approach will not in anyway rid Accra of filth. By making sanitation a daily routine a sustainable awareness will be created which will awake responsibilities towards ensuring that we keep Accra clean always.
Last but not least Diary of Ananse believes that it is about time that we resurrected the Town Council system which was courted into Tankensi/Samasama. It worked in the 80s and 90s. The hearing of the Takensi name alone was an impetus for people to keep their environs clean. These were sanitation officers who visited our communities on a daily basis and made sure that our environs were always kept keen. And in the event that one’s environ was dirty such a person was summoned or asked to pay a fine, which served as deterrent to people who were not mindful of their environment.
We can work towards beautifying Accra and this must begin with us ensuring that our localities are clean.
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