Bad smell from GREL operations causes sickness

Agona Nkwanta(W/R), Dec.10, GNA - The Chief of Apemanim, Nana Ackah-Chie III, has expressed concern about pungent smell emitting from rubber fluid at the premises of the Ghana Rubber Estates Limited(GREL) at Apemanim Number One in the Ahanta West District. He said the stench was creating inconvenience for residents of Apemanim and its surrounding towns such that they could not sleep in their rooms at night.

Nana Ackah-Chie said this at a forum organized by the Conservation Foundation, a non-governmental organisation, at Agona Nkwanta. The Chief alleged that waste water from the operations of GREL had been discharged into River Sueni, the only river in the town thereby causing health problems for people in the town. Nana Ackah-Chie said the river was stagnant leading to breeding of mosquitoes in the town and this had resulted in an increase in reported cases of malaria.

He appealed to the Environmental Protection Agency to intervene to curb the pollution in the area. Nana Ackah-Chie said the GREL had not paid royalties to the chiefs in the area and urge the company to do the right thing to avoid confrontation.