The Kwadaso Municipal Assembly has taken legal action against a resident of Atwima-Techiman for causing public nuisance by improperly rearing chickens in a residential area.
The move follows a petition by inhabitants of Containermu, a suburb of Atwima-Techiman, to the Environmental Health and Sanitation Unit of the Assembly over offensive odour and excessive noise from birds kept in the neighbourhood.
The complainants described the situation as an unbearable nuisance caused by a backyard poultry farm.
According to them, the farmer has been keeping chickens on his premises, resulting in persistent noise pollution and offensive odour from improperly disposed droppings.
They say the development is taking a toll on their health and well-being, with complaints of sleepless nights due to constant crowing, difficulty breathing and persistent irritation from the stench.
Some community members indicated that children and the elderly, in particular, have developed respiratory discomfort, while others fear an outbreak of sanitation-related diseases due to the invasion of flies and improper waste management.
They noted that the foul smell has made it difficult to cook, eat and live comfortably in their own homes, compelling them to petition the Assembly to enforce its environmental bye-laws in the interest of public health.
“We cannot sleep at night because of the constant noise. The smell is so bad that we struggle to eat and breathe in our own homes,” an affected resident lamented.
Another resident added, “We have engaged him several times, but he has refused to remove the birds or do the needful. We are now living in fear of contracting diseases because of flies all over the area.”
In an interview, the Environmental Health Officer for the Kwadaso Municipal Assembly, Madam Genevieve Anthony, confirmed that the complaints were true, adding that her outfit had witnessed the nuisance firsthand.
“Residents came to report the issue and when we went for inspection, we saw the nuisance being created. We initially educated him on proper poultry keeping and served him an abatement notice to deal with the noise from the fowls and especially the odour from the droppings which he was gathering without proper disposal,” Madam Anthony stated.
She explained that after the farmer failed to comply with the directive, the Assembly had no option than to institute legal proceedings at the Twedie Court.
According to her, the farmer later requested an out-of-court settlement, prompting the Assembly to temporarily withdraw the case. She said the Assembly agreed and gave him additional directives to address the nuisance, but the efforts proved futile.
“He is still standing his ground and is not willing to do away with the odour nuisance and the improper dumping of the fowl droppings,” she added.
Madam Anthony said the Assembly has since returned the case to court and is awaiting final judgment by the end of this month.
She assured residents that the Assembly has taken notice of their plight and is putting measures in place, while appealing to them to exercise patience as the court determines the matter.
“I will plead with residents to have patience and let’s see what the court will decide. They are really suffering, we have seen it ourselves,” she stressed.
Meanwhile, the Municipal Coordinating Director for the Kwadaso Municipal Assembly, Mr. Francis Adu-Boateng, revealed that the poultry farm in question has not been registered with the Assembly and has no permit to operate in a residential area.
According to him, the Assembly’s checks established that the facility does not meet the required environmental and sanitation standards for poultry farming, hence its operations are illegal.
He assured residents that the Assembly will ensure full compliance with its bye-laws to protect public health and restore sanity to the community.
Efforts to get a reaction from the accused farmer proved unsuccessful.
