Regional News of Saturday, 10 September 2011

Source: GNA

Zoomlion urges Volta Region MDAs to acquire waste disposal sites

Ho, Sept 10, GNA - Mr Anthony Adzomani, Volta Regional Supervisor of Zoomlion Ghana Limited, a waste management company, has appealed to Municipal and District Assemblies in the Region to acquire waste disposal sites as a matter of urgency to prevent waste management crisis.

He said having final waste disposal site was a major problem, adding "once that problem is solved we are okay," he said at a press briefing in Ho recently.

Mr Adzomani said at the moment waste generated in the Ho Municipality had to be transported to Bakpe near Bame about an hour drive away from Ho.

He said this was because Zoomlion could no longer gain access to the original disposal site at Mile 48 about 40 minutes drive from Ho.

Mr Adzomani said the situation had increased the turn-around time for disposal of wastes generated in the Ho Municipality.

He said there was a high propensity for residents to generate more waste and that the company would continue to try to deal with the existing challenges of waste disposal.

Mr Adzomani urged the media to educate the public to appreciate the challenges of waste management and to co-operate in dealing with the situation by carrying out their obligations and civic duties.

He said six more waste containers would be brought in to augment the existing 24 already in the Ho Municipality, whilst those that had been in use for more than three years would be rehabilitated.

Addressing one of the sessions of the Ho Municipal Assembly, this year, the Municipal Chief Executive, Mr Isaac Kodobisah lamented the lack of co-operation from land owners to release land for the disposal of waste generated in the Municipality.

He said owners of lands at the Mile 48, were no longer willing to allow waste to be dumped there, complaining that no compensation was paid for the use of the land.

Mr Kodobisah said they often blocked the road to the site and turned the waste disposal truck divers away.

He said the landowners had been calling at his office regularly to demand payment of compensation, without which they would not allow the site to be used.

Mr Kodobisah, therefore, appealed to landowners and opinion leaders in the Municipality to help the Assembly to avert any future catastrophe.