Felix Nyamedor, Accra City Community Manager
The toxicity situation in Accra is very challenging to the health conditions of the city’s population. This situation is aggravated by a high level of urbanization and a large population. These chemical substances are from e-waste, industrial and institutional waste-discharge, environmental, and household waste. In the landfills where electronic waste substances are disposed of, children, mostly boys between the ages of 11 and 18, take apart the electronic scrap, often with their bare hands, burn it, and sometime use stones to extract metal parts. These activities pose many health challenges to these young children and others in the city, like itchy eyes, lung and kidney infections.
In light of these challenges, the Government of Ghana has signed the Basel Convention to regulate the flow of hazardous waste from industrialised nations. This has led to the formation of various committees and stakeholders to expedite action on toxic waste in the country. The Accra Metropolitan Assembly (AMA) has launched a number of projects to take care of toxic substances and to improve general sanitation in the metropolis. One important project, the construction of a central culvert in Accra’s largest landfill, was recently completed with the funding of the Department For International Development and the World Bank.
The AMA’s Millennium City project aims to promote sanitation and to restore the position of the city to a millennium standard. With the support of Zoom Alliance and the Environmental Protection Agency of Ghana, it has led the construction of a recycling plant to convert otherwise harmful substances into usable forms. The Ministry of Natural Resources and the Environment has started work on the Odaw River, which is so polluted with garbage that it poses a major environmental threat to the city. The AMA is helping in efforts to return the Odaw River to its former glory and to have it serve as an ecotourism site for revenue generation, and to lessen the level of stench and pollution in central Accra.
The Fisheries Commission and its subsidiary body at the Assembly encourage the sustainable use and conservation of marine resources through legislation, regulations, education, and awareness-creation programmes. Sanctions and penalties have also been clearly spelt out to curb the use of chemicals for fishing. The Ga Mashie Development Association is consciously making efforts to stop the burning of tyres to limit smoke and other related toxins in the environment.
These efforts and many more are being mounted by the Government and the donor community to ensure a toxic-waste-free Accra. Lessons from other countries are incorporated and the best strategies are being undertaken. Regulations should include the essential elements of effective enforcement such as enforcement targets, monitoring, follow-up of suspected violators, and tough prosecution of violators — a fair price to pay to protect the health of Accra’s residents and environment.
Photo credit: My Joy Online