Residents of Achimota in Accra yesterday embarked on a demonstration to register their displeasure at the dumping of garbage in their backyard. Led by the Member of Parliament (MP) for Okaikoi North, Ms Elizabeth Sackey, and the Assembly Member for the Abofu Electoral Area, Mr James Akogo, the demonstrators, by their action, wanted the Accra Metropolitan Assembly (AMA) to halt, with immediate effect, any form of dumping at the Achimota dump site. Clad in red attire, the demonstrators, accompanied by a brass band, marched from the various parts of the community and finally converged on the dump site, where they were addressed by Ms Sackey. She said the resources of the Achimota Hospital were overstretched, having to attend to the many patients who reported at the facility with malaria, cholera and other illnesses. According to Ms Sackey, the hospital recorded not less than 200 cholera cases a month, saying the disease had become a grave health concern to all residents. Residents who have had to endure the repulsive stench from the dump have made several complaints to the city authorities. The AMA announced last week that it was suspending dumping at the dump site as a result of deepening public outcry, but, according to the MP, truck loads of garbage had been visiting the site late at night. "Information reaching me indicates that garbage is dumped here at midnight. We are also putting people in place to monitor the situation," Ms Sackey stated. She expressed confidence that the demonstration would send the right signals to the city authorities and consequently yield a positive result. While the demonstrators carried their placards shoulder higher, trucks carrying laterite moved towards the site to cover the refuse. The stench has also reduced significantly, bringing some air of freshness to the area. "What we want the AMA to do is stop dumping at this place and cover the garbage immediately, so that we can breathe fresh air again," Mr Akogo stated. "If the demonstration fails to get the attention of the authorities, we will advise ourselves," he said.