Agbogbloshie clean-up must be a new beginning
The decision to remove one million metric tonnes of waste from Agbogbloshie, Old Fadama and adjoining communities within 90 days is both ambitious and necessary.
For years, the mountains of refuse in the area have stood as a painful reminder of Accra’s sanitation crisis.
The waste has choked waterways, contributed to flooding and exposed thousands of residents to serious environmental and public health risks.
The restoration of the Korle Lagoon, therefore, cannot be treated as another routine clean-up exercise.
It must mark the beginning of a fundamental change in how the capital manages waste, protects waterways and uses its land.
The Ghanaian Times welcomes the operation and the mobilisation of the Ministry of Local Government, Chieftaincy and Religious Affairs, the Ghana Armed Forces, the District Road Improvement Programme (DRIP) and the relevant Metropolitan and Municipal Assemblies.
The scale of the operation makes such collaboration necessary. It also demonstrates what can be achieved when public institutions and other stakeholders work towards a common objective.
But clearing one million metric tonnes of waste is only half the battle.
The more difficult task will be keeping the area clean after the last truck leaves.
President John Dramani Mahama has rightly stressed the need for firm, fair and sustained enforcement of bye-laws to prevent renewed dumping and encroachment. This must not become an afterthought.
Too often, Ghana has embarked on major clean-up exercises only for the same areas to gradually return to their former state. Public funds are spent removing waste, only for indiscriminate dumping to begin again. That cycle must end.
The reclaimed land must be properly secured and given a clearly defined purpose.
The proposed urban renewal programme, including the planned textile industry, offers an opportunity to transform a degraded area into a productive economic zone. But that opportunity will only materialise if the land is protected from encroachment and incompatible activities.
The authorities must put in place a clear post-clean-up management plan, with defined responsibilities for the assemblies, security agencies, traditional authorities and community leaders.
Residents and businesses also have a responsibility. Government cannot keep removing waste indefinitely if individuals and businesses continue to dump indiscriminately.
Traders, transport operators and residents must comply with sanitation regulations and support efforts to keep the reclaimed environment clean. There is also a wider lesson for Accra.
The planned expansion of landfill capacity in Accra and Kumasi, the development of engineered landfill facilities in all 16 regions and stronger investment in waste separation, recycling and material recovery are steps in the right direction.
The country needs a waste-management system that prevents refuse from becoming an environmental emergency in the first place.
The three proposed landfill sites in Accra should be supported by efficient collection, sorting, recycling and responsible disposal systems.
The Korle Lagoon, in particular, deserves sustained protection. Cleaning it while allowing waste to continue entering its catchment would amount to treating the symptom while leaving the problem untouched.
The authorities must also properly engage the people who live and work in the affected communities.
Enforcement is important, but lasting environmental improvement requires public cooperation and a sense of shared ownership.
The 90-day operation should not be viewed as a deadline after which government walks away. It should mark the beginning of a permanent sanitation and urban renewal programme.
The Ghanaian Times urges the government, the assemblies, traditional authorities, businesses and residents to seize this opportunity.
Let the waste mountain disappear, but let the old habits disappear with it.
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