KANESHIE MARKET, one of the largest in Accra, offers jobs and other important services to many by providing numerous shops and food stands, lorry stations and other facilities, all aimed at making life a little easier for the urban dweller.
But the market has recently been noted for its mountainous piles of garbage and the associated foul smell, giving rise to fears of a cholera outbreak in the area.
Until recently, a cholera epidemic hit Accra and other parts of the country claiming 34 lives and sending many others to the hospital.
In March, the Disease Surveillance Unit of the Ghana Health Service (GHS) reported a total of 1,396 cholera cases in three regions including Central, Eastern and Greater Accra, with the latter being the worst affected.
When HEALTH MATTERS visited the market yesterday morning, there was a long cue of commuters waiting to board vehicles to their various destinations amidst a big pile of stinking refuse.
While most of the passengers were using handkerchiefs to cover their noses and mouths in an attempt to get away from the awful smell, food vendors nearby were also busy selling various food items ranging from porridge, fruits and rice among others.
Akua Boatemma, an onion seller at the market, complained bitterly to the paper about the recent development which has overwhelmed the market.
According to her, even though Zoom Lion Ltd, the waste management company has been in charge of refuse collection for some time now, nothing extraordinary has happened and the problem keeps recurring.
'The waste keeps increasing everyday; the waste managers don't do the collection in time and that is what is making the garbage pile up day in and day out,' she noted.
She called for more trash cans in order to keep the market clean saying the problem requires urgent attention.
She explained that the traders were partly to blame because some do not clean up their stalls when they close for the day.
She indicated that when she started selling at the market 14 years ago, such problems were non-existent until a few years ago adding that the situation was making it difficult to work at the market these days.
HEALTH MATTERS also spoke with Musa Adamu, a meat seller who re-echoed Akua's concerns saying even the traders who do clean up after themselves, do not use soap and other disinfectants to prevent flies and rodents, product contamination and potential disease outbreaks.
He acknowledged that the Accra Metropolitan Assembly had made some efforts to manage waste in the area but there was still much more to be done.
Theresa Cudjoe, who sells cassava, said her customers sometimes avoid her stand since she is located close to the garbage containers.
According to her, life at the market these days had become a bit risky as they are aware of some of the health hazards that can arise by exposing themselves to filth coupled with the recent bad weather.
She therefore pleaded with the AMA and other concerned organizations, to put in proper measures to rescue them.
By Portia Anaman
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