The Kumasi metropolis is grappling with a rising sanitation problem, with market centers engulfed in filth, leaving residents and traders deeply worried.

The public concerns are contrary to claims from the Kumasi Metropolitan Assembly (KMA) that they are cleaning 90% of the waste daily.

A visit to the Central Business District of Adum and Kejetia, and parts of the city exposed piles of garbage and litter, especially plastic waste, strewn across main streets and drainage, creating an unpleasant environment for shoppers and commuters.

Traders say the accumulation of rubbish is a failure of city authorities to ensure regular cleaning, claiming waste collection is irregular, which poses serious health risks.

“The filth is immense and this could cause serious health problems, the streets and gutters are always dirty. We come and gather the refuse for cleaners but they don’t clean here everyday. The dustbins also get full early and are left here for about 3 days,” a trader said.

“The rubbish affects us. The dustbins always get full and we are not able to close them. They begin to smell,” another trader said.

Major trading hubs like Asafo Fish Market, and Borla Ho Market, near Dr. Mensah and Suame Kotoko have had to contend with poor waste management.

At the Bombay community, near WAEC Asawasi, the main gutter has turned an eyesore. The enclave accommodates littered plastic waste and open defecation is a common phenomenon. The stench in the area is unbearable, as some artisans there claim the drainage was last desilted in 2014.

The poor sanitation is also highly visible at a major bridge linking Ahodwo to Asokwa. The wetland close to the Asokwa flyover is giving way to construction activities, and the major drainage is choked with plastic waste.

Head of Waste Management at KMA, Prosper Kotoka, acknowledged the assembly is overwhelmed in waste management.

“I agree that everyone who will do a thorough inspection will conclude that the city is dirty. The reason is we have 3 modes of collection which happen only in the night. The city is congested so we cannot sweep during the day. We wait for people to finish with their businesses,” he expressed.

In an interview with Luv FM, Mr. Kotoka revealed the assembly is able to remove about 90 percent of the total amount of waste generated in Greater Kumasi daily.

“The greater Kumasi generates about 2,000 tonnes of waste everyday. Let me paint a picture well, the huge refuse trucks we call the compactor truck have a maximum of 10/12 tonnes, so 100 of those trucks will be 1,000 tonnes, so we are talking about 200 loads of that huge truck. That is the kind of quantity generated everyday.

“That’s why when you say Kumasi is dirty, you need to add the quantity of what is moved out daily. I cannot say all but about 90% of waste is removed from the CBD every day,” he stated.

He believes waste management is a shared responsibility, pointing to indiscipline among a section of the public in waste disposal.

However, residents of Kumasi are calling for more proactive measures and meaningful action to keep the city clean.