Minister tours environmental sites in Accra

Mr Akwasi Opong-Fosu, Minister of the Environment, Science, Technology and Innovation (MESTI), has toured the Agbogboloshie Scraps Market, Mallam Market Landfill Site, and some Green belt lands zones encroached by developers.

His tour was to access the environmental impact of the sites, and also to get first-hand information of the operations at the various sites.

At a press briefing after the tour, Mr Opong-Fosu said the continuous burning of cables and other materials must cease, to reduce the impact of environmental pollution and land degradation, and also monitor the progress of climate change.

Mr Opong-Fosu tasked the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), to conduct investigations into the Green belt lands that had been allocated to private developers.

He said the lands were fraudulently acquired, and that was against the environmental laws of Ghana.

The Minister, therefore ordered the immediate stop of work at the various sites.

Mr John Pwamang, Deputy Executive Director of EPA in-charge of Field Operations, said the cable shredder at the Agbogboloshie was provided by the Blacksmith Institute of the United States at a cost of 85,000 dollars.

He said the EPA would comply with the minister’s directive to investigate the allocation of the Green belt zone lands to the private developers.

Mr Pwamang assured Mr Opong-Fosu of EPA's commitment to enforce the country's environmental laws, to protect the citizenry from diseases.

Mr Abdulai Abdul Karim, Chairman of the Agbogboloshie Scrap Market, said the dealers had now stopped the burning of cables, and now use the cable shredder machines that extract the cables.