Residents and traders of the Agbogbloshie-Galaway Community in the Greater Accra Region have expressed worry over the poor state of sanitation in the area, particularly the state of the Odaw drains, which are choked with solid waste.
Speaking to GhanaWeb TV, Francis, a vendor, appealed to city authorities to urgently dredge the Odaw drain, which poses a severe threat to their health.
He indicated that some traders and residents have turned the drains into an illegal dumping site.
“The people living around the gutter have turned it into a dumpsite. If you can stay here for at least twenty minutes, you will see them coming to throw waste into the drains.
“At first, they were afraid, so they dumped the waste during the afternoon, but now during the daytime, they dump waste in the drains because nobody is telling them to stop. That is what we have been doing now.
"The drains are now choked with solid waste. It is very serious. If there should be a downpour, the whole area would become flooded because the water cannot flow into the sea. If there are people guarding this place, it would stop.
"They have always been dumping waste into the drains. They have turned the drains into a dumpsite. Nothing is being done about the situation, that is why the water is not flowing. Though during the COVID time, they dredged the whole drains, but after the dredging, they started dumping waste into the drains. There are no dustbins around too,” he stated.
Another vendor, Edmund Adu, expressed concern about the inconsistency of city authorities in maintaining the drains.
"Anytime they start cleaning here, after some months, you won’t see them here again. We don’t know what is happening here. From our community here, everyone carries their waste and throws it here. That is why here is messed up like this,” he noted.
A vendor, Lydia Ohene Adobea, also appealed to city authorities to dredge the Korle drains because of the stench that emanates from it.
"The stench is unbearable. Whenever school children pass here, they have to use nose masks because of the foul smell. The filth flows under the bridge joining other main drains. During the COVID era, they dredged it during the lockdown, but it has since been neglected. The waste has increased, faecal matter is also dumped into the river.
“We appeal to city authorities to come to our aid. We are plagued with typhoid fever. AMA authorities and other stakeholders in the sanitation sector should come to our aid.
“They should restore the environment. We have lost a lot of people because of insanitary conditions here. With schools reopening soon, we want them to take immediate action before the situation worsens. There are a lot of basic schools here, Ayalolo schools, so they should come to our aid,” she noted.
Despite several efforts by city authorities to keep Accra clean, the city remains plagued with filth.
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