14 dumpsites evacuated in Bono East Region: Pay as you dump to be introduced, says Techiman MCE - • Some sites to be used for development projects

The Ministry of Local Government, Decentralisation and Rural Development (MLGDRD), in partnership with Zoomlion Ghana Limited (ZGL), a waste management company, has evacuated 14 age-old dumpsites in five districts in the Bono East Region.

The districts include Sene East, Sene West, Pru West, Atebubu-Amantin and Nkoranza North.

However, the evacuation of dumpsites in the Techiman North, Techiman and Nkoranza Municipal assemblies were still underway at the time of filing this report.

The 14 dumpsites were part of the 28 sites in the eight municipal and district assemblies selected by the ministry to benefit from phase one of the nationwide exercise in the region.

Speaking at Kenten last Tuesday to commence the evacuation of refuse at a dumpsite, the Techiman Municipal Chief Executive, Benjamin Yaw Gyarko, said the assembly had resolved to introduce a pay as you dump policy in the municipality.

He said it would not be out of place to introduce the policy, as it was targeted at enhancing the environment and appealed to the public, particularly the people in the area, to accept the policy when it was introduced.

Mr Gyarko said the policy would help complement the government’s efforts to improve the sanitation situation in the area.

Politics

He urged the public to put politics aside in the implementation of the policy and consider the improvement of health and environment to accept the policy.

Mr Gyarko said the assembly would also strengthen its bye-laws to support the policy and the government’s efforts to keep the municipality clean.

He explained that the waste the assembly generated daily was more than the resources available to evacuate it and urged the public to be responsible and be committed to pay a little to complement the government’s effort.

Threat to health 

At Tuobodom in the Techiman North District, the District Chief Executive for the area, Everson Addo-Donkor, said eight refuse sites were expected to be evacuated in the district.

He explained that the eight sites, for more than 80 years, had been located at the heart of the town which threatened the health of the residents.

Mr Addo-Donkor said the assembly sent a list of 40 refuse dumpsites needing evacuation to the ministry, where the eight age old sites were selected to benefit from the phase one of the exercise.

He said the assembly had planned to use the evacuated sites to develop some government projects such as schools, community centres and health facilities.

Mr Addo-Donkor appealed to the chiefs to allow the government to use the evacuated sites to execute state projects.

He also appealed to the public to stop indiscriminate dumping of waste in communities.

Evaluation 

The Bono East Regional Coordinator of ZGL, George Manu, explained that the company, which started the exercise last month, had completed five districts out of the eight selected for the phase one of the exercise.

He expressed the hope that by the end of this month the entire phase one of the exercise would be completed in the region. 

Mr Manu said the exercise was crucial because it would help to reduce diseases in the affected communities.

He encouraged the public to subscribe to the domestic waste management system or door-to-door collection of waste using waste bins, to help improve waste management in the country.

Mr Manu said the ZGL would partner the assemblies to increase containers and waste bins in communities to eliminate the heap of waste in communities.

Frustrations  

At the various sites, some residents, particularly those living closer to them, expressed their frustrations about the existence of the dumpsite in their area.

They said the sites had been turned into places of convenience by some residents and had also become breeding grounds for mosquitoes.

They said when the wind blew, it gathered rubbish to their homes, polluting their food and water, and thanked the government and the ZGL for the exercise.

Writer's email: biiya.ali@graphic.com.gh