Residents of Gbebu Mpoase, a suburb of Dansoman in the Ablekuma West Municipality are complaining about a mountain of refuse in the area that is creating discomfort for them.
According to the residents, scores of tricycles popularly known as Abobo Yaa trip in to dump the refuse they have collected from different places, creating the heap that leaves an unbearable stench to the residents.
They however say they are unable to speak up, out of fear for their lives and loss of property. Speaking to GBC News, Assembly Member for the area, Wilberforce Mensah said the assembly has on numerous occasions invited the police and military to arrest the perpetrators and confiscate the tricycles but this has yielded no results.
Waste Management in Ghana has proved to be a menace that successive governments have not tackled properly. The correlation between waste generation and management seems to be at loggerheads. This is one such problem that residents of Gbebu Mpoase, a suburb of Dansoman face.
According to them, heaps of refuse which are situated at the edge of the Djata Bu lagoon pose a threat to their health and well-being as a result of illegal dumping of refuse by Abobo Yaa drivers.
They said, even though a sanitation task force comprising joint police and military personnel visit the area occasionally to confiscate the tricycles and arrest drivers and toll collectors, the perpetrators always return to the place when the task force leaves.
The residents say they fear for their lives and property as the toll collectors sometimes assault them on suspicion that they have reported the illegal dumping of refuse to the authorities. Some of the residents told GBC NEWS the heaps also cause floods and other health hazards whenever it rains heavily.
Here are some comments from the residents:
“Dumping of refuse here by tricycles causes the heap to breed mosquitoes and other insects. This is making us all sick. Government must provide an alternative dumping site for the Mpoase Community.”
“Its too bad. Me, for instance, I need to be doing the cleaning every day because when they pass, the rubbish will be falling down and they don’t care. So if you don’t do the cleaning every day the place will be dirty”
“ The rate at which they dump rubbish here is very bad. When it rains, it affects us but we do not have any place to dump our rubbish. We are pleading with the authorities to do something about this situation for us”
The residents are therefore calling on the government to urgently provide an alternative dumping site to relieve them of the inconveniences.
Story Filed by Jasmine Naa Ayeley Laryea.
