We Have No Final Waste Disposal Site – Local Governance Expert Warns of Looming Sanitation Crisis
A Local Governance Expert, Issaka Amon Kotei, has raised concerns over poor waste management practices in communities, warning that indiscriminate disposal of refuse poses a serious public health threat.
Speaking on sanitation challenges in municipalities via a zoom interview on Kessben Maakye show, Mr. Kotei blamed the situation partly on a lack of public discipline, stressing that many residents have not been properly educated on responsible waste disposal.
“We are indisciplined in our communities. We have not trained our children to dispose of waste properly, and they grow up with that habit,” he stated.
He argued that waste management companies such as Zoomlion have the capacity to handle domestic waste effectively if local authorities engage them through proper agreements.
Mr. Kotei further lamented the absence of final waste disposal facilities in many municipalities, describing it as a major setback in the fight against poor sanitation.
According to him, the mismanagement of domestic waste, including human excreta, could trigger serious health challenges if urgent measures are not taken.
The governance expert also revealed that some municipalities do not have dedicated waste management departments, calling for the recruitment and deployment of sanitation volunteers to educate households on proper refuse disposal practices.
“People dump refuse indiscriminately because there is no formidable final disposal system. When nobody is watching, waste is discarded anywhere,” he noted.
Mr. Kotei cited waste management practices in Ga West and the Kpone-Katamanso area as examples where structured mechanisms have been introduced to manage refuse beyond simply dumping it at landfill sites.
He urged metropolitan, municipal and district assemblies to strengthen public education, improve waste disposal infrastructure and enforce sanitation regulations to avert a worsening environmental and health crisis.
By Maurice Otoo
