Dobro residents battle massive smoke from dumpsite

Residents of Dobro, a community near the Nsawam-Adoagyiri municipality in the Eastern Region, are battling with massive smoke emanating from the Nsumia Solid Waste Disposal facility belonging to Zoomlion Ghana.

The smoke, which began last Thursday, has engulfed half of the town with residents complaining of having difficulty in breathing and throat infections.

According to them, the smoke from the dumpsite had made life unbearable because it irritated their eyes, nose, and throat with the odour extremely nauseating.

How it began

The situation was said to have started when a man, who has a piece of land five metres away from the dumpsite, decided to burn weeds on his land to pave the way for him to continue his uncompleted house.

After setting the fire, the owner of the land was said to have left it unattended only for it to spread to the dumpsite.

Immediately managers of the dumpsite spotted the fire, they called the Ghana National Fire Service (GNFS) but the firefighters were also unable to put it out due to the massive flame.

So far, the fire has been contained but the smoke from the dumpsite has taken over the town.

The dumpsite has been shut down temporarily to enable managers of the site to address the situation.

Residents worried
Although the flames been quenched, residents still complained about the effects of the smoke.

“Personally I cannot sell because the smoke from the dumpsite makes breathing so hard and I doubt anybody would come to buy should I open my shop,” 35-year-old provision shop owner, Madam Rebecca Gaizie, said.

According to her, the situation was so bad during the weekends so she had sent her two sons to stay with their uncle at Dome.

Another resident, Mr Eric Cantona, said he had been heavily affected by the smoke because “my house is just close to the dumpsite.”

“My wife and I cannot sleep because breathing becomes so difficult,” he added.

According to him, it was not the fault of the managers of the dumpsite because since the place was opened, there had not been any burning of refuse until last Thursday.

Zoomlion on the move
The site manager of Nsumia Solid Waste Disposal facility, Mr Samuel Quartey, said since the incident occurred, managers of the place had devised a lot of ways to address the problem.

“As I speak to you, we have managed to bring the fire under control. We have also brought in so much equipment to ensure that the smoke is dealt with,” he said.

Mr Quartey said efforts were being put in place to address the situation, adding that “by the end of the week, all the smoke would have been eliminated”.

He said Zoomlion Ghana would never indulge in any act that would pose danger to the lives of the residents.