Korle Lagoon and other illegal dumpsites closed down – AMA

The Accra Metropolitan Assembly (AMA) has officially closed down the illegal dumping site of the Korle Lagoon Ecological Restoration Project (KLERP) and other sites under its jurisdiction.

The other sites are located at Glefe, Okponglo (Behind the Ghana Revenue Offices), Adedemkpo, Mallam, and Tunga in Accra.

The operators of the tricycle and other non-conventional waste collectors have been given ultimatum of one week from May 24 to May 31, 2017 to stop dumping refuse at the mentioned dumpsites.

They have been directed to transport their refuse to transfer stations at Kokomlemle Mini Station, TIDYUP Mini Station at Mallam Old Landfill and the Achimota Transfer Station.

Settlers at the KLERP site from the Korle-Bu Traffic Light down to the International Central Gospel Church (ICGC) have been ordered to remove their structures by two weeks from May 24, or face demolition.

Consequently, the AMA has set up a five-member committee to draw sustainable operational strategic plan and to submit their report on June 2, this year, for the exercise.

Mr Anthony Mensah, the AMA Waste Management Director who announced the closure at a news conference at the KLERP site in Accra warned that waste collectors who failed to comply with the directive would face the full rigours of the law.

He said KLERP site, which was earlier used and decommissioned by the AMA was later developed into a recreational park almost two decades ago, but it was destroyed by stray cattle due to grazing.

Mr Mensah said after the June 3, 2015 flooding and fire disaster in Accra, the KLERP area was used as temporal disaster waste holding point and disposal site for desilted material from the Odaw channel and later the Korle Lagoon.

“Early this year, a group of unauthorised persons opened the KLERP site for use as an illegal dumpsite, mostly patronised by informal waste collectors, who used motorised tricycles in their activities for a fee,” he said.

Mr Mensah said the AMA had never authorised and did not benefit in any way from this place being used as a dumpsite, adding that; “It is instructive to indicate that the AMA had earlier in 2016 spent enormous resources to close down a similar illegal dumpsite near the ICGC.”

He said the operations of slow moving tricycles on the Ring Road South (mortuary road) posed substantial risk to road safety and interfered with movement of emergency services such as ambulance and Fire Service due to proximity to the Korle Bu Teaching Hospital, the Greater Accra Regional Fire Service Station and the National Fire Service Training Institute.

The Director said although the tricycles rendered services to marginal areas not covered by the AMA accredited waste collectors, their activities left much to be desired since they disposed wastes at unapproved locations such as illegal dumpsites, open spaces, on streets and road medians.

Mr Mensah said the AMA had outlined a programme towards the realisation of the President’s vision of making Accra the cleanest city in Africa, hence the evacuation of all refuse heaps and the close down of illegal dumpsites.

He said the unauthorised dumpsites posed substantial risk to the environment especially in the area of emission of greenhouse gasses.

“Accra, being a member of the C40 Cities Climate Leadership Group and the 100 Resilience Cities certainly cannot site unconcerned and therefore has to show commitment in reduction of greenhouse gasses,” he said.

Chief Superintendent Kwesi Ofori incharge of Greater Accra Regional Operations of the Police Service pledged the support of the Police to support the AMA to clear of the unapproved dumpsites in the area.

GNA

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