‘Lavender Hill’ to be cleared

The Accra Metropolitan Assembly (AMA), will close down the Lavender Hill by the end of this year.

The assembly had secured 2.8 million dollars from the Danish government to discontinue the dumping of fecal substances into the Korle Lagoon in Accra.

Mr. Robert Ansah, Special Assistant to the Mayor of Accra, disclosed this on Wednesday when the Minister of Environment, Science, Technology and Innovation (MESTI), Mahama Ayariga, paid a familiarisation visit to some on-going projects in Accra.

The minister, who was accompanied by some officials from the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), visited the Mudor Faecal Treatment Plant, the Lavender Hill and a sewage treatment plant, all located around the Korle Lagoon.

Mr. Ansah said in compliance with recent court ruling to the AMA to stop activities at the Lavender Hill, the assembly had drawn a comprehensive plan which had been presented to the EPA for implementation to close down the place.

He said a total of 150 trucks download human waste daily into the lagoon of which one-third was treated at the Mudor Faecal Treatment Plant, stressing that the facility would be expanded in the near future to receive additional trucks of human excreta for treatment.

Mr. Ansah noted that funding gap impeded the progress of the project but funding now secured from the Danish government, would help solve the challenge of disposing feacal waste in Accra.

Mr. Steve Ackon, Project Manager of the Accra Sewage Improvement Project said the sewage treatment plant could treat a total of 16,120 cubic metres of sewage waste a day but the plant currently operates 8,000 cubic metres of sewage waste in Accra daily.

Mr. Mahama Ayariga minced no words in condemning the AMA for its negligence which had resulted in the Lavender Hill saga, and he stressed that assemblies must live up to their duties and invest in proper disposal of waste.

He said the ministry would monitor closely AMA projects and engage with relevant stakeholders to ensure full utilisation of the plants.

Mr. Ayariga, urged the AMA to liaise with the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST) to replicate the project in Kumasi and other regions in the country.

The Executive Director of EPA, Daniel Amlalo, urged the AMA to institute proper maintenance culture to protect their treatment plants and strive to ensure environmental safety in the metropolis.