Three dumpsites cleared in Bono Region

Three dumpsites in the Wenchi Municipality in the Bono Region, considered a health threat to the people, have been cleared.

The mountainous piles of rubbish included a 60-year-old dumpsite at Droboso, with the other two sited at Asuano and Kwase, both of which had existed for about 50 years.

The exercise was undertaken by the Ministry of Sanitation and Water Resources in collaboration with the municipal assembly.

The Municipal Chief Executive (MCE) of Wenchi, Dr. Patrick Kwakye Afriyie, said the three dumpsites were cleared in accordance with the government’s prioritised plans to close all dumpsites in residential neighbourhoods to ensure a safe environment.

Speaking to journalists during the exercise at Droboso, the MCE said a similar dumpsite at the Wenchi Market, which was closed down during the administration of former President J.A. Kufuor, had now been converted into a maize market.

"The Wenchi Municipality has a temporary landfill site which is used to bury waste, and plans are ongoing to ensure an engineered landfill site to serve the municipality,” he emphasised.

Illegal dumping

Meanwhile, the residents of Droboso have welcomed the evacuation of the over 60-year-old landfill site, describing it as a “big relief from the offensive stench” they had endured over these years.

The residents said aside from the offensive smell that emanated from the dumpsite, it had also been a breeding ground for mosquitoes and houseflies, causing malaria, cholera and other diseases.

A sanitation guard at the Drobo community, Mr. Osei Kofi, indicated that the area would no longer tolerate illegal dumping of refuse now that the dumpsite had been removed.

He said an education campaign had been started to inform residents of the need to pay a token for their waste to be collected in an organised manner to promote a clean environment and proper management of waste.

He expressed the hope that the assembly would provide the communities with waste bins for that purpose.

That, he said, would discourage people from disposing of their waste anyhow in order to prevent a recurrence of a dumpsite.