President John Dramani Mahama has ordered the immediate reopening of six transfer stations that have been closed for more than nine years.
The purpose of the action is to prevent rubbish from being washed back into drains during rainfall and to guarantee appropriate disposal of the trash gathered during the statewide clean-up activity.
The order comes after Ahmed Ibrahim, the Minister for Local Government, Chieftaincy, and Religious Affairs, appealed for specific disposal sites to handle the massive amounts of debris that were collected from drainage systems during the exercise.
Speaking on Saturday, July 11, the second day of the National General Cleaning Exercise, President Mahama stated that the decision was required to deal with a persistent issue where debris that has been removed from drains is left by the side of the road and then swept back into the drainage system.
“We’ve had six transfer stations that were built more than nine years ago. Unfortunately, they were not put into operation. So we’ve asked the contractor to open the transfer stations so that the waste operators can take the garbage there,” President Mahama said.
He explained that the approach will enable smaller garbage trucks—including those run by tricycle waste collectors—to drop off trash at the transfer stations, from which larger trucks will deliver it to the final disposal locations.
The President went on to say that the action will lessen the difficulties encountered by waste collectors who have been complaining in recent weeks about the lack of approved disposal locations, which has caused trash to build up in various areas of the capital.
Instead of travelling all the way to Amasaman, he advised garbage operators taking part in the cleanup effort to use the closest transfer station.
President Mahama also expressed gratitude to locals, sanitation personnel, and local authorities for taking part in the nationwide cleanup operation, emphasising that improving Accra’s sanitation conditions calls for teamwork.
He declared, “Ghana is a resilient country, Accra is a resilient city, and we will bounce back better than before.”
Source: newsthemegh.com