The Accra Metropolitan Assembly‘s (AMA) Chief Environmental Health Technologist (CEHT) Mr. Samuel Kpodo, says dead bodies are not buried at refuse dump sites.
A statement he made on 27th July, 2011, during a visit by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the Parliamentary Select Committee on Environmental, Science and Technology to Mallam, Oblogo and
Sarbah dumpsites in Accra. The visit, was an initiation by the Speaker of Parliament, Her Excellency Madam Joyce Bamford Addo, following a committee report submitted by the EPA to parliament.
According to Mr. Kpodo, Mallam dump site is an old quarry area ‘which has now been filled by waste’ and whenever it rains, leachates (Chemicals from decomposed refuse) washes into the sea and lagoons. These leachates are very toxic and harmful to both human and aquatic life.
Residents complained of the stench emanating from the refuse and culverts having leachates running through, breed mosquitoes in the area.

The CEHT said, AMA has prepared a 3 year decommissioning plan under the Urban Environmental Sanitation Project 2. This he said involves, compacting the refuse and covering it with laterite but, this has not been executed. When asked why the delay, he attributed it to lack of funds.
‘Thank God, the World Bank under the Urban Environmental Sanitation Project 2 has assured AMA of funds to execute the decommissioning. As to the amount involved, ‘I don’t know’. ‘The procurement officer can best answer this question’, he said.
The source of drinking water to residents is pipe borne water. However, it is not safe to drink from bore holes because the water table of the area is high therefore leachates can percolate into the water table.
When asked whether residents have been sensitized about these effects, the answer was in the affirmative. However, interviews with residents proved otherwise. The leachates are high in Carbon dioxide (CO2) and this make the rain water blackish in colour.
The situation is no different at Oblogo and Sarbah dump sites. The capacity levels of the volumes of waste the land can accommodate is not yet known, Mr. Kpodo said.
In the interim, Sums (reservoirs) have been constructed to ‘contain’ leachates and direct it to treatment plant. However unavailable pumps to pump leachates have compelled AMA to bring cesspit tanks to discharge leachates to Accra treatment plants. This he said has been the problem of AMA saying ‘we have the methods but need resources’.
In another development, the news team chanced upon CEO of Husken Global 2007 Company, Mr. Hussein Ezei Kenous a local resident, who has established a recycling waste factory near the Sarbah site. He recycles broken plastics into new plastic chairs, tables, basins for ready markets. This he describes as a method to rid the country of filth.
AMA is aware of Mr.Kenous operation but has not granted any assistance to facilitate his work and encourage the initiative. The CEO therefore took the opportunity to appeal to Government to come to his aid and the AMA also promised to close all land field site by the end of December, 2011.


Ivan Akposoe
+233271773432
Kojoivan@yahoo.com
Freelance Journalist.