AMA To Close Illegal Dumping Sites

The Accra Metropolitan Assembly (AMA) has decided to close down six illegal solid waste dumping sites in the first week of June, 2017.

Squatters within the areas will also be sacked.  

The illegal dumping sites are at Kosel- Bu, Mallam, Kleffe, Okponglo, Dansoman and Old Fadama.
 
Briefing the press after a media tour of the sites with some officials of the AMA last Wednesday, the Director of AMA’s Waste Management Department, Mr Anthony Mensah, said the tour was primarily to officially close down the Ring Road South illegal dumpsite, popularly known as Korle Lagoon Ecological Restoration Project (KLERP) site.

“This site was one of the earlier landfill sites used and decommissioned by the AMA that was developed into a recreational park under KLERP almost two decades ago but was destroyed due to neglect and grazing by stray livestock, especially cattle,” he said.   

Unauthorised opening

He noted that after the June 3, 2015 flooding and fire disaster in Accra, the KLERP area was used as a temporary disaster waste holding point and disposal site for desilted material but earlier this year, a group of unauthorised people opened the KLERP site for use as an illegal dumpsite, mostly patronised by informal waste collectors who use motorised tricycles.

“I would like to emphasise that AMA had never authorised and does not benefit in any way from this place being used as a dumpsite. It is also instructive to indicate that AMA had earlier in 2016 spent enormous resources to close down similar illegal dumpsites,” Mr Mensah said.

New legal dumping sites

The director said apart from  those dumpsites, there were other illegal dumpsites in various locations within the metropolis which posed substantial risk to the environment, especially in the emission of Green House Gases (GHGs).    

He said in fulfilment of the President’s vision to make Accra one of the cleanest cities in Africa, the Accra Mayor had inaugurated a facility that had the capacity to receive waste collected by both the formal and informal waste collectors at Achimota and additionally, a mini transfer station had been inaugurated at the Old Mallam landfill site.