Former Accra Mayor backs Adipa residents over landfill concerns

Former Accra Mayor Mohammed Nii Adjei Sowah has backed residents of the Adipa/Asiaw Electoral Area in their call for better management of the Adipa landfill. Residents have given the government a seven-day ultimatum to stop transferring waste from the Agbogbloshie enclave to the facility and engage them on their concerns about the landfill. While acknowledging their concerns, Nii Adjei Sowah cautioned that shutting down the facility completely could create further challenges for Accra’s already strained waste management system. Adipa residents give government 7 days to stop Agbobloshie waste transfer Speaking on Channel One TV, he said the concerns raised by residents were legitimate, particularly because of the health and environmental risks associated with poorly managed landfill sites. “I think the call by the community is also right, that we must set our priorities right and make sure that it’s an engineered landfill site,” he said. He said poorly managed landfill sites could expose nearby communities to harmful substances and other environmental hazards. “The leachate that comes is very dangerous, and now the smell, the flies that come, it’s likely to engulf the whole community,” he said. However, the former mayor noted that Accra generates huge amounts of waste daily, making suitable disposal sites difficult to find. He said rapid urbanisation, coupled with challenges over land ownership, had also made it difficult for authorities to secure new sites for waste disposal. “If we close that landfill site today, all the waste that you generate in Citi FM and the whole of the city, then where are we going to dump it? You have no place to dump,” he said. Nii Adjei Sowah also explained that the waste currently being taken to the Adipa facility may not be the city’s regular daily waste. According to him, a significant portion of the material comes from waste that had accumulated around the Korle Lagoon following dredging operations. “I think that they are clearing the place so that it will not go back into the Korle Lagoon,” he said. Despite this, he urged the government to be transparent with residents about the exercise and explain how the landfill would be managed going forward. “I would like to urge the Minister to be very clear as to what exactly you are doing. You are clearing the place. What are you clearing there for? How is the place going to be maintained?” he asked. The former mayor said residents’ concerns should be taken seriously as authorities work to address Accra’s long-standing waste management challenges. He stressed that although the city needs functioning disposal facilities, proper engineering, effective management and clear communication with affected communities are essential to reducing the health and environmental risks associated with landfill operations. Gambia Coach Reveals What Happened Inside Black Stars’ Dressing Room After 4-2 Comeback Source: GhanaWeb (https://www.ghanaweb.com/GhanaHomePage/NewsArchive/Former-Accra-Mayor-backs-Adipa-residents-over-landfill-concerns-2054556)