Residents around the Oti landfill site have staged a demonstration against the Kumasi Metropolitan Assembly (KMA) for allegedly failing to properly manage the site.
According to the residents, the poor management of the landfill has led to a pungent smell enveloping the community posing a health risk.
The protest, which has so far stalled major activities at the site, began around 7:00 am on Monday, March 25, 2019 where waste trucks and tricycles were lined up waiting to discharge their contents.
Organisers of the demonstration, led by the Assembly Member for the area, Elliot Ofosu Bano have served notice that the protest would go unabated until a decisive action is taken by authorities.
They want the KMA to hand over the landfill and the liquid waste treatment facility to the Asokwa Municipal Assembly which has jurisdiction over the Atonsu-Kuwait community.
They claimed the KMA was struggling to manage the about 1,200 metric tonnes of waste dumped daily at the landfill site, posing environmental hazards to them.
The Oti community popularly known as Atonsu-Kuwait houses the landfill site which sits on a 100-acre land surrounded by residential buildings.
Mr. Bano said the KMA had failed to fumigate the place and only did so yesterday (Sunday) upon hearing of the demonstration.
“My people are fed up with the flimsy excuses. We want the landfill site to be either co-managed by the Asokwa Municipal Assembly or be handed over to it completely to manage since the Oti community is no more under KMA,” he stressed.
By Kamal Ahmed
