By Jacob Aggrey
The Accra Metropolitan Assembly (AMA) has disconnected illegal sewer lines and shut down a public toilet at Graphic Road for channelling human waste directly into the drains.
The facility was closed down by the Director of Waste Management of the AMA, Ing. Solomon Noi, on Wednesday during the Homowo clean-up exercise organised under the auspices of the Ga Traditional Council (GTC) and in collaboration with the Greater Accra Regional Coordinating Council (GARCC), the Ministry of Sanitation and Water Resources, the Ministry of Local Government, Decentralisation, and Rural Development, the Ministry of Interior, Local Government Authorities, and Zoomlion Ghana Limited to improve sanitation in the city of Accra.
Mr. Noi highlighted the severe risks posed by such unsanitary practices, stating that the pipe had the potential to block the entire drain, which could cause flooding during rainfall. He expressed dissatisfaction about how the sewage had been irresponsibly laid by the public toilet operators and cautioned for the right thing to be done to mitigate health risks.
“The sewer line was laid right inside the drain, prompting me to trace its source. We discovered that it led to a public bathroom, with another toilet behind it. The sewage from both facilities was being emptied directly into the drain,” he said.
“This poses multiple risks: first, the large pipe can block the entire drain, causing flooding during rains. Second, the sewage should be directed to a septic tank to be properly emptied, but instead, it is being irresponsibly discharged, endangering public health,” he noted.
According to him, officials from the public health directorate of the AMA have been contacted to issue immediate sermons for the perpetrators of the malpractice to appear before the sanitation court and face the full rigours of the law.
He said the sewer line will be cut by the Assembly and used as evidence at the court, urging residents to desist from activities that contribute to destabilising the health and overall wellbeing of the public. He mentioned that government was disbursing a lot of money to import and cure upper respiratory tract infections, while some residents continued to make money at the expense of the health of the public.
He called for such unhealthy practices to be stopped to avoid further health risks posed by unkept environments.
