Minority Chief Whip and Nsawam Adoagyiri MP, Frank Annoh-Dompreh, has joined residents of Adipa in his constituency to demand an immediate halt to the relocation of refuse from Agbogbloshie and other parts of Accra to the Adipa Landfill Site.

The government has commenced a 90-day operation to evacuate about one million tonnes of accumulated waste from Agbogbloshie and Jamestown, with the refuse being transported to the Adipa landfill.

Mr Annoh-Dompreh, however, said key stakeholders in the constituency were not adequately engaged before the operation began.

Speaking during an engagement with residents on September 28, he said he had engaged traditional leaders and the Assembly Member for the area but was concerned that the local assembly, as the local government authority, had not been adequately involved.

“The assembly, which is the local government authority of the area, is not aware. Why would it be the case? There’s no part of the world where you can move these tons of waste from point A to point B without engaging the stakeholders. It’s never done anywhere. It has never happened before. It’s not done anywhere,” he said.

Mr Annoh-Dompreh said the situation was particularly concerning because Adipa was not the first community in the area to experience such an arrangement, citing Nsumia as a previous example.

He stressed that residents of affected communities must be considered when decisions are taken on waste disposal sites.

“The land goes beyond the lives of flora and fauna. The people living in that community, and the people living in adjoining communities, are all stakeholders that should be involved. It’s strange,” he said.

The MP also questioned why waste was being transported from the Greater Accra Region to the Eastern Region when, according to him, there were other landfill sites within Greater Accra.

“Why move the waste from Greater Accra, whilst there are a number of landfill sites in Greater Accra?” he asked.

He called for an explanation of why Adipa was selected as the destination for the waste.

“What went into the decision to move the waste from Greater Accra to the Eastern Region, no other area than Adipa? We need to find answers to this question. What informed that decision?” he asked.

Mr Annoh-Dompreh urged the government, particularly the Minister for Local Government, to engage directly with residents and other stakeholders.

He also questioned the broader approach to waste management, referencing Ghana’s Sustainable Development Goals commitments and the NDC manifesto’s position on sustainable waste management.

“The NDC Manifesto itself also talks about sustainable disposal and sustainable management of waste. So, what has changed? What has changed?” he asked.

‘We are not fighting government’

Mr Annoh-Dompreh stressed that his position was not intended as a confrontation with the government but as a representation of the concerns of his constituents.

“We are not fighting government. As a member of the minority and as a representative of the people in Parliament, we cannot fight government,” he said.

He maintained that residents had a right to demand a clean environment and express their concerns through lawful means.

“But the government will not limit our rights. Our rights to live in a clean environment, the government will not limit it,” he added.

Health and environmental concerns

Meanwhile, the Assembly Member for the Asiyaw Adipa Electoral Area, Emmanuel Asamoah, raised concerns about the impact of the waste disposal activities on residents, the environment and public health.

He said the community was already struggling with what he described as a “massive influx” of solid waste from Accra, resulting in exposed refuse, unpleasant odours and a declining quality of life.

“Residents are now forced to live alongside mountains of exposed garbage, attracting pests, generating unbearable odours and severely degrading our quality of life,” he said.

Mr Asamoah also expressed concern about runoff from the landfill during rainfall, claiming that it was affecting local groundwater and nearby drainage systems.

“Runoff from the dump site during recent rains continually contaminates local groundwater and nearby drainage systems. This wreaks permanent damage to our local ecosystem and water security,” he said.

He further claimed that the accumulation of waste had affected air quality and contributed to an increase in rodents and insects, raising concerns about possible health risks.

According to him, residents had reported concerns about malaria, cholera and respiratory illnesses, which he linked to conditions around the landfill.

Mr Asamoah said the situation was also prompting some residents to consider leaving the community.

“This situation has led to people leaving the community to go outside and find a place to live because they can't live in the community anymore,” he said.

He said residents, as taxpayers, deserved to live in a clean and safe environment rather than bear the burden of waste generated elsewhere.

“We pay taxes as citizens and refuse to let our community become the city's junkyard. We deserve a clean, safe environment to raise our families,” he said.

The Assembly Member called for an immediate halt to the movement of refuse to the Adipa landfill and a health and environmental impact assessment to determine the effects of the operation on the community.