Regional News of Friday, 24 October 2003

Source: GNA

Akuapem North has no disposal site for its liquid waste

Akropong-Akuapem (E/R), Oct. 24, GNA- A group calling itself the Concerned Citizens Association of Kwamoso, has called on the Akuapem North District Assembly to stop the disposal of untreated night soil on their farm lands in the area.

The group claimed that, the continuous disposal of the night soil in the area was contaminating food crops on adjoining farmlands and also polluting water bodies "which is dangerous to the health of people." This was contained in a petition by the group to the Eastern Regional Co-ordinating Council (RCC), the District Assembly and other organisations and copied to the press.

Reacting to the complaint, the Deputy Akuapem North District Environmental Officer, Mr James Addo, said the district had no final disposal site for its night soil and following consultations with the Assemblyman for Kwamoso and some traditional authorities in the area, it was decided to dump the waste in a defunct public latrine at an isolated place of Kwamoso.

He said unfortunately, when the waste was dumped in the area, the night soil overflowed the underground tank unto the farmlands.

Mr. Addo said the Assembly had already stopped dumping the night soil in the area and asked people who want to empty their cesspits, to arrange for the excreta to be taken to other districts for disposal while efforts are being made to acquire a disposal site at Kwamoso. Meanwhile, the District Chief Executive, Dr. Eugenia Dankwa-Quist, has directed the commencement of work on the site to enable the assembly to effectively manage its human waste.