EPA initiates sound environmental management practices at lorry stations

Accra, Aug. 25, GNA - Stakeholders at the Tema Lorry Station in Accr= a have agreed that the facility is not being managed properly and called for an improvement in the management practices.

They suggested that cleaners should be contracted to clean the station= , and some felt that traders were taking over the station and they should be moved from the main lorry stations.

The stakeholders expressed their readiness to collaborate with relevan= t bodies to improve the environment while porters contributed much to the messy situation of the stations. These were the outcome of a survey conducted by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) on proposals for a project, to encourage sound and sustainable environmental management practices at lorry stations in Ghana. The stakeholders included welfare committee members, traders, drivers, mates, station attendants and porters, who responded to four issues, noise, exhaust emission, waste management, waste oil disposal and management. It was presented by Ms Stella Okoh-Ofosu of EPA Public Relations Department at the first meeting for stakeholders, to ensure sound environmental management of lorry stations, in Accra on Thursday.

The EPA has identified Accra Metropolitan Assembly (AMA), the transpor= t unions such as Ghana Private Road and Transport Union (GPRTU), Progressive Transport Owners Association (PROTOA), other driver associations and all those engaged in activities at the lorry stations as stakeholders and determined to collaborate with them to find lasting solutions to the problems.

It has initiated sound environmental practices on pilot basis at the New Tema and Ho-Koforidua lorry stations in Accra.

Lorry stations in the country are to be used by drivers and passengers= , but the stations have been taken over by hawkers, food vendors and other activities that have produced indiscriminate littering, improper disposal o= f waste and excessive noise from Compact Disc (CD) sellers. An ideal lorry station is a meeting place for passengers and vehicles, which will take them to their destinations. It must have adequate toilet facilities, urinals and seating places while waiting for vehicles, therefor= e the need for the provision of these amenities and dust bins.

Ms Okoh-Ofosu explained that the project was being undertaken because the mandate of the Agency enjoined it to collaborate with relevant institutions to educate and create awareness on the environment. "There are many lorry stations country wide with various actors and users such as drivers, passengers, hawkers and food vendors, and currently environmental management practices in the lorry stations in the country are nothing to write home about (very bad).

"It is prudent to call a forum for all the stakeholders to brainsto= rm and take action on the pertaining negative environmental practices." She explained that the project would be used to educate regular users, drivers, mates, passengers, traders and porters at the New Tema lorry station in Accra on proper plastic and other solid waste disposal on pilot basis. In addition, it would sensitise users especially drivers on the effect= s of noise and assign roles and responsibilities to stakeholders.

Ms Okoh-Ofosu said other aspects were for EPA to collaborate with leadership of the transport unions such as the GPRTU, PROTOA, and other unions to educate drivers, mates and other users of the station on good environmental practices, to collectively monitor and evaluate sound environmental practices at the stations.

The main sources of noise were from gospel preachers who used amplifiers, speakers and megaphones, mobile cassette and Compact Disc (CD) vendors with the high volume of amplifiers, traditional medicine sellers wh= o used megaphones, vehicles especially over-aged vehicles and non regular maintenance of especially diesel cars.

On exhaust emission, about 60-80 per cent of the vehicles at the station smoke (This figure was given by the station attendants). The main cause of the excess exhaust emissions is that the vehicles are old and owners do not follow a rigorous maintenance schedule. On solid waste, almost all users of the station are guilty of littering. The main reason is that, there are no litter bins at the station, and porters (kayaye) use the lorry station as their residential place and generate a lot of solid waste.

It was also noted that most of them defecate into polythene bags and throw them into the drains or even at the lorry stations. Used polythene bags and ice water sachets are also a major problem. Used clothing sellers after cutting their bales, sell the good clothes and leave the unwanted and defective clothes lying about, creating a lot of rubbish.

The station does not have contracted cleaners to sweep the station.

Sweeping is done by individuals who after gathering the solid waste leave them at the lorry stations instead of taking them to the main container.

"There is one main container (skip) for all the solid waste generate= d at the station," the survey revealed.

Liquid waste from wash rooms are channeled into septic tanks and main drains. Some liquid waste is generated from the food sellers. Some food sellers put their liquid waste into buckets and later throw them into the drains together with the remnants from the cooking and sellin= g activities.

This brings about bad odour and also makes the gutters very dirty and choked. In addition, some users of the station instead of using the wash rooms= , urinate into containers and later pour this into the gutters and drains.