Rubbish abandoned at New Mamprobi

Vida Essel Apr - 16 - 2014 , 06:13

A heap of rubbish which has been abandoned for the past two months at the collection point at Mamprobi-Adabraka No.10 at New Mamprobi in Accra is creating inconveniences for residents.

The overpowering stench emanating from the collection point has become a great worry for residents, especially those who live close to the area.

Investigations by the Daily Graphic revealed that the rubbish collection point served residents at New Mamprobi, part of Chorkor, Sempe and its environs.

Residents

Speaking to the Daily Graphic, the residents called on the Accra Metropolitan Assembly and Zoomlion to, as a matter of urgency, clear the heap of rubbish.

They said, the unpleasant stench emanating from the rubbish dump posed a threat to their health, and with the rains ahead, the situation could worsen.

They indicated that if the heap of rubbish was not cleared before the rains set in, it could result in the outbreak of diseases such as cholera, malaria, diarrhoea and other sanitary-related diseases.

“We have made several calls to Zoomlion but they always give us the excuse that their vehicles have developed faults so we have to stop calling,” Mr Mohammed Nortey, a resident, noted.

He said the refuse containers had not been returned to the place for the past two months and that had forced the residents to dump the rubbish on the ground.

Caretakers at collection point

A caretaker at the collection point, Mr Tetteh Quainoo, said all attempts to get Zoomlion to come to their aid had proved futile.

On a number of occasions, he said, he had been told by officials of Zoomlion that they were repairing their vehicles and that they would collect the rubbish after the repairs but they had not been there as promised.

“I have even lodged a complaint at the Zoomlion office at Mpamprom where I was directed to by one of their staff members but that have yielded nothing,” he added.

The assembly member

The assembly member of the area, Mr Philip Lamptey, told the Daily Graphic that the situation was worrying, since all attempts to reach the Zoomlion to return the containers had yielded no result.

He said no explanation had been given them as to why they had failed to return the containers to the collection point but indicated that he had spoken to one Felix from Zoomlion over the situation.

Mr Lamptey gave the assurance that he would do everything he could to address the situation.

Response from Zoomlion

An official from Zoomlion, Accra Zone branch, who spoke to the Daily Graphic said the problem was as a result of challenges being encountered at the various landfill sites.

According to him, long queues at the various sites did not allow for effective services during the day, adding that since the sites did not also operate at night, that has compounded the problem.

He indicated that he had visited the collection point the previous day, and the rubbish at the site would soon be collected. “We are supposed to go there this morning but we had a flat tyre so we will work on it and go there,” he added.