In 2017, President Akufo-Addo shared his vision with the world to make Accra one of the cleanest cities in Africa while being installed as a chief in Ngleshie Jamestown, Accra.
To achieve this vision, there must be an effort to ensure proper management of plastic waste to prevent it from entering the drains and causing blockages, which could lead to flooding during the rainy season.
The significant amount of filth engulfing a storm drain at Asylum Down strongly indicates that the country may be far from achieving the President’s vision, despite the government’s numerous efforts.
Residents within the community have expressed concern about the unsanitary state of a major storm drain running through the area and are calling on the relevant authorities to address the situation, as reported by JoyNews.
One resident, Bernard Asamoah, urged the authorities to be vigilant in their operations and desilt the drain full of plastic waste.
He emphasized that if the rubbish continues to accumulate, it could lead to flooding, resulting in loss of life and financial losses for the government.
“When this gutter chokes it affects the environment depleting the area. When it rains the place will flood going into people’s homes causing NADMO to waste a lot of money. The government should be astute in its operation because as the rubbish builds up it will cause flooding and environmental hazard to the people in the area,” he said.
Another resident in the area, Christopher Ayem, also shared his experience.
He stated that he has worked in the area for 15 years and emphasized that when it rains, the situation becomes very unpalatable for anyone unfamiliar with the place.
Additionally, he revealed that the drain has been engulfed in filth for many years.
“If it rains and you are passing here the situation is very unpalatable because of the rubbish and nothing has been done to clean up the rubbish,” he said.
Winfred Dankwah, another resident pleaded with the authorities to address the situation sanitary conditions of the drain which has existed for many years.
Which causes floods anytime it rains “We are begging the big men to come to our aid and address the situation because we are suffering here. The rubbish has been here almost 3 years when the rain falls it floods and it enters our rooms.”
A passerby Kinsley lamented the impact such a choked drain has on the nation’s tourism sector because he feels it doesn’t speak well of the nation’s tourism potential and revealed that during election time machines are always brought to start work on the drain after the election the rubbish is still left behind.
“We always say we want to make Ghana a tourist attraction and when they come and see this filth it doesn’t speak well of us. When it is election time you will see them bring machines to clear the drain after the election they take the machines away leaving the gutter in a mess,” he said.
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