Teshie residents want refuse on Avenue road collected
The Park Avenue Road in the Teshie Nungua Estates in Accra that links the Third Junction to the former A-Life Supermarket is covered with refuse and heaps of sand, rendering the road virtually impassable.
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The entire stretch of the once busy road lying adjacent to a water body has now been turned into a refuse dump, rendering the road unmotorable and abandoned.
The area is also engulfed in a foul stench that emanates from the refuse which has not been cleared for several months now. The situation poses serious health challenges to the people living in the area.
Waterway
Culverts under a bridge which collect rain water and sewage from the community and empties them into the Songo Lagoon at Teshie and eventually into the sea is choked with refuse.
The Daily Graphic can say with authority that the road has been abandoned by the municipal assembly and this has allowed squatters to take advantage of the situation by turning the link road into a refuse dump.
Herdsmen also bring their cattle to graze and in the process take over the road, making it difficult for drivers who dare to use that road.
Sanitation crisis
Could the situation be a consequence of the sanitation crisis that hit the country in 2014 and led to the introduction of the National Sanitation Day by the government? In spite of attempts at inculcating the habit of cleanliness and the spirit of communal labour in the people, the impression is given of a community that is cut off from others and not abreast of current happenings.
According to residents of the area, the situation has brought untold hardships to them as they have to battle with flies and mosquitoes from the refuse dump eveeryday.
The residents put the blame squarely at the doorstep of the squatters and people living in the Zongo community behind the estates.
LEKMA
In an interview with a resident of the area, Mr David Frempong Boateng, he said several attempts by the residents to get the Ledzokuku Krowor Municipal Assembly (LEKMA) to live up to its responsibilities by clearing the refuse had so far proven futile.
He said ever since the estate is established some 45 years ago, nothing had been done to clean and preserve the water body, which is now overgrown with weeds. He added that because of the unkempt surroundings, the area had been taken over by criminals, including wee peddlers and smokers.
Mr Boateng said criminals took refuge in the thick mangrove from where they emerged to perpetrate their nefarious activities. He further explained that even though the police had raided the place a number of times, the crooks always returned.
Appeal to ministry
He appealed to the Ministry of Local Government and Rural Development to come to their aid and assist them to get rid of the refuse in the area once and for all.