Minister urges Assemblies to prioritise waste management

Nii Lante Vanderpuije, Deputy Minister of Local Government and Rural Development, has tasked Metropolitan, Municipal and District Assemblies (MMDAs) to observe efficient waste management practices to keep communities clean.

He said the insanitary conditions in cities and towns needed to radically improve.

The Deputy Minister was speaking at the weekend when he toured some towns in the Kwabre District, namely Mamponteng, Ahwiaa-Overseas and Meduma to assess the sanitation situation there.

He could not hide his disappointment with what he saw, terming it as “appalling” and said things could not be allowed to remain as they were.

He, therefore, tasked the MMDAs and public officials to be responsible, get down to serious work to end the public health nuisance, and assure the population of their safety.

At Meduma, refuse left uncollected for about 30 years had turned into a mountain – standing as tall as a two-storey building.

The people complained to the Deputy Minister about the overpowering stench, which they said, was a major discomfort.

They said many residents had to relocate to other communities because of the environmental health hazard it posed. The situation was not different at Ahwiaa-Overseas.

Nii Lante Vanderpuije underlined the need to relocate refuse sites from the city and town centres to the outskirts.

The District Chief Executive (DCE), Mr. Inusa Adams, told the Ghana News Agency (GNA), that the Assembly had inadequate financial resources.

He said an attempt was made to evacuate the refuse in year 2009 but the Assembly run out of money for the project.