KMA On Sanitation Problems

UNDER THE sponsorship of the government of Ghana and the World Bank a 15 by 23 metre refuse container and 16 Hard Shoulders constructed at the cost of ?11 billion have been commissioned in Kumasi under the supervision of the Kumasi Metropolitan Assembly (KMA)

Speaking at the commissioning, the Chief Executive of KMA, Mr. Maxwell Kofi Jumah, said the refuse containers and the Hard Shoulders will help the assembly to manage the communal refuse stations and the Buobai faesal plant , which is about to be completed.

He said all this will ensure a more scientific method of handling and treating liquid waste in the city.

He said Kumasi is a sprawling city with sanitation problems.

According to him, conservative estimates of 1.1 million residents and 500,000 of the floating population generate 800 tonnes of solid waste and 160 cubic metres of liquid waste every day.

He emphasized that huge amounts of waste have proved to be an enormous logistical nightmare and financial drain on the assembly, because a glance at the assembly's accounting reveals that the waste management department takes a huge chunk of the assembly's fund.

Jumah stated that because of scarce resources, the assembly has introduced the house-to-house refuse collection scheme, which would enhance the sanitary conditions in the metropolis and also reduce the billions of cedis spent annually in managing communal refuse stations.

The Chief Executive continued that under the house-to-house refuse collection scheme, Kumasi has been divided into seven zones and the pilot scheme is currently going on in the Bantama zone with the help of World Bank.

Mr. M. O. Danso, the director of the Waste Management Department of KMA, said in 1990 the Ghana government sought assistance from the World Bank and funds were released to build the containers that will facilitate the smooth collection of refuse in the city.

He said due to the high cost of collecting refuse in the city, the assembly has contracted Waste Group Ghana Ltd., to collect refuse from house to house with a charge of 20,000 for third class residential areas, ?25,000 for second class residential areas and ?30,000 for first class residential areas.

Danso stated that the charges are backed by flexible litter bin acquisition that enables the assembly to utilize the hygienic and scientific treatment of the huge quantities of liquid waste generated in the metropolis.