A HEAP of refuse which has piled behind the new Achimota Lorry Station in Accra is causing a lot of nuisance to residents of Abofu, Alogboshie and surrounding areas.
An offensive stench emanates from the refuse dump, which is very close to the Odaw River, and has also become a breeding ground for mosquitoes and all types of reptiles.
Occasional burning of the refuse emits volumes of smoke which is gradually exposing the residents to various health hazards.
Most passengers who go to the station to board vehicles cover their noses with handkerchiefs to avoid breathing in the unpleasant smell.
Some of the residents told the Daily Graphic that the pungent smell from the refuse dump had made life uncomfortable for them and appealed to the city authorities to clear the pile and relocate the dumping site.
“I want to move away from the area to another suburb of Accra because the stench is too much and it is making life so uncomfortable. We don’t know how long we have to endure this situation, which is very worrisome,” a resident of Alogboshie told the Daily Graphic.
The acting Abofu Mantse, Nii Armah III, told the Daily Graphic that the location of the refuse dump was worrying because many commercial activities go on in the community.
Apart from that, he said, the refuse dump exposed the community to many health hazards, such as cholera and malaria.
“The health of residents, especially children, is at risk because the refuse dump breeds mosquitoes which cause malaria and day in day out people come to complain to me,” he said.
He added that the stench became worse whenever it rained and residents had no choice but leave their windows and doors open, which also created room for mosquitoes to attack them.
Nii Armah appealed to the authorities to relocate the refuse dump to save the residents from further health hazards.
In a telephone interview, the Head of the Waste Management Department of the Accra Metropolitan Assembly (AMA), Mr Anderson Blay, said the assembly had been spraying and covering the dump to reduce its negative effects on the people.
He said the authorities would ensure that the spraying and covering were done effectively to avoid some of the health hazards on residents.
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