President John Dramani Mahama has directed the immediate operationalisation of six waste transfer stations in Accra to improve refuse collection and prevent waste cleared from drains from being left to wash back into waterways.
The directive, announced during the second day of the nationwide clean-up exercise at Alajo last Saturday, forms part of a broader government strategy to strengthen sanitation management and reduce the risk of flooding in the capital.
The President explained that the facilities, constructed more than nine years ago but left idle, would now be brought into use to improve the efficiency of waste disposal.
He said the government had engaged Zoomlion to reopen them.
“We have identified the need to improve our waste management system. Six transfer stations were constructed more than nine years ago, but unfortunately they were never operationalised. We have engaged Zoomlion to reopen them so that refuse trucks can discharge waste there instead of travelling long distances to Amasaman,” he stated.
He further explained that larger haulage trucks would then transport the waste from the transfer stations to final disposal sites.
This, he said, would significantly reduce turnaround time and prevent refuse removed from drains from finding its way back into the drainage system.
The move comes in the wake of the devastating June 29 floods, which affected parts of the Greater Accra, Central, Volta and Western regions.
The floods claimed lives, displaced more than 58,000 people and destroyed homes, businesses and public infrastructure worth millions of cedis. They also left behind heaps of refuse, thick silt and debris that choked drains and littered streets in many communities.
In response, thousands of residents joined the President in a two-day national clean-up exercise. From the early hours of Friday and Saturday, people armed with shovels, wheelbarrows, rakes and cutlasses worked alongside personnel of the Ghana Armed Forces, Ghana Police Service, Ghana National Fire Service and other security agencies to desilt drains and clear blocked waterways.
Corporate organisations, youth groups, traditional authorities and civil society organisations also took part, while waste management companies deployed trucks, excavators and compactors to clear refuse from affected areas.
At several locations, fumigation teams disinfected flood-hit communities to reduce the risk of cholera and other waterborne diseases.
Among those who participated were the Vice President, Professor Naana Jane Opoku-Agyemang; the Ga Mantse, King Tackie Teiko Tsuru II; the Governor of the Bank of Ghana, Dr Johnson Asiama; Ministers of State, Members of Parliament, Metropolitan, Municipal and District Chief Executives, and the Executive Chairman of the Jospong Group of Companies, Joseph Siaw Agyepong.
The bulk of the waste retrieved from drains included plastic bottles, polythene bags, discarded clothing, household refuse, wood, tyres and construction debris.
Speaking earlier at Tse Addo on the first day of the exercise, President Mahama observed that years of silt build-up had drastically reduced the carrying capacity of many drains. He stressed that regular desilting would restore their effectiveness within a year or two and significantly reduce flooding during heavy rains.
He urged residents to treat environmental sanitation as a shared civic responsibility instead of waiting for government intervention after disasters.
“At least once every month, we should all come together to clean our communities. Our drains are not refuse dumps, and we must stop treating them as such. Let us use the skip containers provided and keep our surroundings clean,” he urged.
As part of the government’s immediate response, the President visited the 37 Military Hospital, where he presented relief items in recognition of the facility’s role as the country’s foremost emergency and trauma centre.
He also announced that the Ministry of Finance had released GH¢200 million to the National Disaster Management Organisation (NADMO) to procure relief supplies for flood victims.
Commending the security agencies, particularly the Ghana Armed Forces, for their swift response, President Mahama assured residents that the clean-up would continue until affected communities were restored to normalcy.
“Ghana is a resilient country. Accra is a resilient city. Together, we will overcome this challenge and rebuild an even cleaner, safer and stronger city,” he stated.
BY JULIUS YAO PETETSI
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