Former Accra Mayor Mohammed Nii Adjei Sowah has backed residents of the Adipa/Asiaw Electoral Area in their call for proper management of the Adipa landfill, amid growing concerns over waste being transported from the Agbogbloshie enclave to the facility.
Residents have given the government a seven-day ultimatum to stop the transfer of waste to the landfill and engage them over concerns about the facility.
But while acknowledging the community’s concerns, Mr Nii Adjei Sowah says shutting down the facility outright could worsen Accra’s already difficult waste management situation.
Speaking on Accra-based Channel One TV, he said the concerns of residents are legitimate, particularly given the environmental and health risks associated with poorly managed landfill sites.
“I think the call by the community is also right, that we must set our priorities right and make sure that it’s an engineered landfill site,” he said.
He cited the potential impact of leachate, foul odour and flies on communities living around landfill facilities.
“The leachate that comes is very dangerous, and now the smell, the flies that come, it’s likely to engulf the whole community,” he said.
However, the former mayor stressed that Accra continues to generate large volumes of waste every day, making the availability of suitable disposal sites a major challenge.
He explained that rapid urbanisation and difficulties surrounding land ownership have further complicated efforts to identify new locations for waste disposal.
“If we close that landfill site today, all the waste that you generate in Citi FM and the whole of the city, then where are we going to dump it? You have no place to dump,” he said.
Mr Nii Adjei Sowah also clarified that the material currently being transported to the Adipa facility is not necessarily the city’s regular daily waste.
According to him, much of it comprises waste accumulated around the Korle Lagoon following dredging operations.
“I think that they are clearing the place so that it will not go back into the Korle Lagoon,” he said.
He nonetheless urged the government to be transparent about the exercise and clearly explain why the area is being cleared and how the site will subsequently be managed.
“I would like to urge the Minister to be very clear as to what exactly you are doing. You are clearing the place. What are you clearing there for? How is the place going to be maintained?” he asked.
Mr Nii Adjei Sowah said the concerns of residents should not be dismissed as government works to address Accra’s persistent waste management challenges.
He maintained that while the city needs functioning disposal facilities, proper engineering, management and communication with affected communities are necessary to minimise the environmental and health risks associated with landfill operations.
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