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30.10.2014 Politics

Government To Abolish Landfill Sites

By Daily Guide
Government To Abolish Landfill Sites
30.10.2014 LISTEN

Julius Debrah
The Minister for Local Government and Rural Development (MLGRD), Julius Debrah, has said that the government is considering a proposal in the long-term to abolish the use of landfill sites in the country as waste disposal centres.

The minister said this when he paid a courtesy call on the Inspector General of Police(IGP), Mohammed Alhassan, and the Chief Fire Officer (CFO), Brig Gen J.B.E Guyiri, at their respective offices in Accra to brief them on the forthcoming National Sanitation Day which falls on November 1,2014.

He said the use of landfill sites in the 21 st century is an outmoded practice beside its several implications on the health of the people living in the areas where such sites were located.

The minister, who was accompanied by his deputy, Nii Lantey Vanderpuye, chief director and other senior directors of the ministry, added that people living in communities where landfill sites were located have started raising red flags  on the issue as signals of protest.

Mr Debrah continued that government would put in place mechanism to consider composting as well as the creation of a business option of sorting of waste to be converted into useful products to benefit society.

Mr Alhassan expressed appreciation in how the ministry was spearheading such an initiative to help rid communities of filth.

The IGP and the other heads of departments of the various units within the Service further called for the return of the town council officers to help check irresponsible members of community who refuse to keep their homes tidy.

They called for the use of coercive approach in handling the people in the interim, adding that sanitation offenders thereafter should be severely punished.

Brig Gen J.B.E Guyiri said housekeeping practice is a major mandate of the Service and, of which, sanitation plays a key role.

He continued that the practice of burning waste indiscriminately could have severe implications on fire safety and the environment.

The minister and his entourage later visited the Ghana Independent Broadcasters association (GIBA) and the National Association of Keep Fit Clubs on similar missions.

 
 
 

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