Indiscriminate dumping of waste at the Circle Neoplan Station, at the Kwame Nkrumah Interchange, in Accra, poses health hazards to commuters and transport operators.
The Ghanaian Times has, over the past weeks, observed that waste have been dumped indiscriminately at various parts of the station.
When the paper visited the station yesterday,it noticed that rubbish (consisting of polythene bags) had piled at certain parts of the station.
The heap of rubbish, after a short while, was blown off into the air, polluting the environment.
The heap of rubbish at the Circle Neoplan Station is increasingly becoming a normal situation for drivers, passengers, petty traders around and passers-by.
Some commuters shared their plight with the Ghanaian Times. KwakuArmah, a coconut seller, said the filth was affecting his business since some people refused to buy food items at unhygienic places.
“My business has been affected as people do not like to drink the coconut water in filth” and I have seen many people dump refuse after their daily business and pour them on the ground – maybe, because of lack of garbage bins at the station’s vantage points,” he said.
Mr Armah observed that the garbage bin was far from the station, compelling the cleaners to leave their rubbish at the edges of the street.
“The garbage bins were not close enough, so cleaners had to gather the trash at the sideways of the street.”
A commuter, Ayodele Noah, said the situation was because laws on sanitation were not stringent enough,“so people had no fear but just dumped the rubbish on the ground.”
A driver, James Oppong, said drivers contributed to the filth in the station.“After transiting passengers to their destination, we come back with waste and because there are no bins to dump it in, we leave the rubbish on the floor. If we have bins, that would not be the case,” he added.
When contacted, the Welfare Secretary at the Circle NeoplanStation, MrKassim Hassan, said his outfit was taking steps to address the sanitation problem.
“Sanitation is my main concern, I have relayed the problem to the appropriate authorities and I am hopeful a solution would soon be provided,” he disclosed.
Mr Hassan appealed to the Accra Metropolitan Municipal Assembly (AMA) to help tackle the sanitation problem.
“I’m pleading with the AMA to help the union check those mandated to maintain sanitation at the station,” he said.
The welfare secretary advised the general public to desist from indiscriminate dumping of waste.
The Circle Neoplan Station has one of the biggest bus terminals in Accra, where commuters are transported to various parts of the country.
The station and its environs have been noted for battling with sanitation problems over the years.
BY CONNIELOVE MAWUTORNYO DZODZGBE
