Gbawe-Buleimli residents protest dumping of waste in quarry pit
Residents of Gbawe-Buleimli and surrounding areas have protested against moves by the Accra Metropolitan Assembly (AMA) to convert a pit left after the quarrying activities of Sonitra in the area into a refuse dump site.
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In order to present a united front to drum home their protest, the various resident associations in the area have come together to form the Buleimli-Sonitra Joint Residents Association to fight their cause.
The joint association has already sought legal advice and indicated its position on the issue to the AMA, the Ga South District Assembly and the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) through a letter from its solicitors.
Copies of the letter were also sent to the ministers of Health, Local Government and Rural Development and Environment and Science, the Greater Accra Regional Minister, the Member of Parliament (MP) for the area and Gbawe and Weija chiefs.
The pit, popularly referred to as the Sonitra pit by the community members, is close to human settlements and schools and about 100 metres to the Baaley stream, which is the only source of drinking water for many of the residents.
The joint association last Saturday organised a rally at Gbawe Buleimli that was attended by the MP for the Weija-Gbawe Constituency, Madam Rosemond Abrah, to publicly state its rejection of the proposed action of the AMA and the assembly.
Community concerns
Addressing the rally, the Public Relations Officer of the joint association, Mr Isaac Acquaye, stated that leachate from the proposed landfill site would contaminate the water and pose a health hazard to the people of the area and its environs.
“We cannot fold our arms unconcerned and watch the AMA ruin our only source of drinking water,” he said.
Besides, he said many households had dug boreholes which provided water for their daily use and leaks from the dump site will sink into the earth’s crust and contaminate the boreholes.
He stressed that the stench that would emanate from the proposed dump site would be a nuisance and threat to residents.
He further drew attention to the winding gridlock on the Mallam-Gbawe road created by heavy traffic that residents had to endure on a daily basis and stressed that additional hundreds of refuse trucks plying the road would worsen the situation.
Mr Acquaye indicated that there were many schools in the community and the activities of refuse truck drivers would pose a danger to the schoolchildren.
According to him, a public forum purported to have been organised by the AMA on August 1, 2014 to inform the residents of the intention to dump waste in the area was illegal, fraudulent and in usurpation of the mandate of the EPA to carry out such an activity.
He explained that the Environmental Assessment Regulation 1999 (LI 652) Clause 15 (iv) required a mandatory EPA approval before the construction of a secure landfill facility.
Member of Parliament
Madam Abrah, who inspected the proposed dump site, reiterated the concerns of the residents and concluded that any attempt by the AMA and the Ga South Assembly to dump refuse in the area would be fiercely resisted with all legal means.
She commended the association for seeking legal advice and expressed disappointment at the fact that she was not notified of the community forum held by the AMA and the assembly on the issue.
She lauded the association for bringing the issue to her attention and promised to consult with the solicitors and the district assembly on the next step.