By: Valentia Tetteh
For years, huge piles of refuse have become a familiar sight around parts of the Korle Lagoon area in Accra, turning what should be a vital waterway into a growing sanitation challenge.
But as government intensifies efforts to clear the accumulated waste and restore the area, attention is shifting to the Adepa Waste Management Centre at Nsawam in the Eastern Region, which is being prepared to receive waste from the various dumpsites along the Korle Lagoon.
The facility, which operates round the clock, has the capacity to receive between 1,500 and 1,700 tonnes of waste daily.
Site Manager, Engineer Richard Omani-Mensah, says the facility has enough operational capacity to accommodate the additional waste expected from Accra.
He explained that trucks transporting waste from the capital could make use of both daytime and nighttime operations to reduce pressure on traffic and ensure continuous disposal.
“Looking at traffic conditions, during the day you can do about 800 to 900 tonnes, and at night you can also do about 700 to 800 tonnes.”
The facility sits on about 200 acres of land, with designated cells for the disposal and management of waste.
Meanwhile, the Minister for Local Government, Chieftaincy and Religious Affairs, Mahama Ayariga, says the government is putting measures in place to ensure that areas cleared of waste around the Korle Lagoon do not quickly become dumping grounds again.
He said the military would be deployed to supervise and secure the cleared areas.
“Because if we don’t put soldiers to supervise and secure the areas that have been cleared, people will go back and dump there again.”
The Minister also indicated that government is engaging contractors to support the exercise with heavy-duty equipment and trucks to facilitate the evacuation of waste.
He said a meeting would be convened with the various contractors to coordinate their participation, particularly during weekends.
“We are going to convene a meeting with the contractors and tell them that, please, we don’t work on Saturdays and Sundays, so let’s use those days to support the exercise.”
Mr Ayariga said government is also exploring ways of undertaking the exercise without imposing additional financial pressure on the state.
He is expected to brief President John Dramani Mahama on the arrangements as preparations continue.
The planned evacuation is expected to involve a significant number of trucks moving waste from Accra to the Adepa facility, as government seeks to tackle the sanitation crisis around the Korle Lagoon and improve environmental conditions in the capital.
