30-year waste backlog at Korle Lagoon to be cleared

The government is preparing to evacuate more than 30 years of accumulated waste from the Korle Lagoon and its surrounding areas at James Town to a 200-acre landfill at Nsawam in the Eastern Region.

The exercise forms part of efforts to decongest Accra of waste and improve sanitation in the capital, the Minister of Local Government, Chieftaincy and Religious Affairs, Mr Mahama Ayariga, has said.

The waste will be transported to the Adipa Waste Management Centre, operated by the Jospong Group of Companies.

Mr Ayariga disclosed this yesterday when he inspected the facility to assess its capacity and determine the logistics required to transport the waste from James Town to the landfill.

He said discussions had been held with the Minister of Roads and Highways, Mr Governs Kwame Agbodza; Minister of Defence, Mr Gilbert Kenneth Adjei; and Minister of Finance, Dr Cassiel Ato Baah Forson, on plans to evacuate the waste.

The exercise follows a directive by President John Dramani Mahama for the accumulated waste around the Korle Lagoon to be cleared.

“During our tour on Tuesday, you saw all the heap of garbage that had piled up from the waste management plant that Zoomlion has constructed at Korle-Bu up to Otabil’s church, waste that has accumulated for over 30 years,” he said.

Mr Ayariga stated that the directive also covered waste accumulated on the opposite side of the lagoon, where squatters had settled.

“President Mahama has tasked me to make sure that whole waste, including the ones that have piled up at the other side of the lagoon where we have these squatters, we should clear all that waste,” he said.

He explained that the government would engage major contractors in the Greater Accra and Eastern regions to provide trucks, equipment and other logistics for the exercise.

The minister said the Ministry of Defence was expected to finalise a programme for the movement of the waste, adding that some roads leading to the landfill might have to be closed on specific days to facilitate the movement of waste trucks.

He further disclosed that military personnel would be stationed at the James Town enclave after the evacuation to protect the cleared land from encroachment.

According to him, Dr Forson had plans for the area, making it necessary to secure the land once the waste had been removed.

The facility was made available to the government by the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the Jospong Group of Companies, Dr Joseph Siaw Agyepong.

The Operations Manager of the Adipa Waste Management Centre, Mr Richard Omani-Mensah, said the facility operated around the clock and had the capacity to receive more than 3,000 tonnes of waste daily.

He said the facility currently received between 800 and 900 tonnes of waste at night, in addition to 700 to 800 tonnes during the day, and could accommodate more.

“As at now we are receiving over 800 to 900 tonnes of waste in the night alone and 700 to 800 tonnes a day and we can receive more if the trucks will come,” he said.

Mr Omani-Mensah explained that the location of the landfill was largely due to the scarcity of land and rapid development in Accra.

He said while the western part of Accra had waste management infrastructure, areas such as Achimota and Ashaiman also had waste transfer stations.

He disclosed that the centre was planning to establish an integrated waste management facility at Agomeda in the Shai Osudoku District of the Greater Accra Region.

Mr Omani-Mensah added that waste pickers who recovered recyclable materials from the landfill played an important role in reducing the volume of waste.

He noted that their activities helped to extend the lifespan of the landfill while creating employment opportunities.

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