Residents of Sankor in Winneba, Central Region, are struggling with sanitation-related diseases such as cholera and hepatitis A due to the proximity of their homes to the major waste dumping site located in their community.
According to Mr. James Tetteh, a health worker at the Wonsom CHPS Compound, sanitation-related diseases have been the most prevalent conditions reported to the center during his five years of service there.
“I have been working there for the past five years, and most of the prevalent cases treated in this health center are all sanitation-related diseases such as hepatitis A, which is gotten from contaminated food and water resulting from poor sanitation.”
He emphasized that almost all the victims that visit the health center to be treated for these sanitation-related diseases are individuals living around the dumping site.
“And by the records, all the victims of these diseases or all the patients that visit the health center for healthcare are mostly people that live close to the dumping site in this community.’
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Residents have voiced worries about the unbearable stench and the increased risk of diseases associated with the dumping site.
Meanwhile, a member of the Works Unit at the Effutu Municipal Assembly, Mr. Anthony Bediako, revealed to Xtreme Media Online that the dumping site has been in existence longer than most of the houses in the surrounding area.
He noted that although some residents possess building permits, they have constructed their homes too close to the dumping site, which has led to the current discomfort and health concerns.
“Many of them have permits; some of them do not have permits. The unfortunate aspect is that those who have built their houses there didn’t use any good plan, and as a matter of fact, it has made the place not desirable for living.”
Mr. Bediako emphasized that the Municipal Assembly consistently demolishes structures built without permits, yet some individuals persist in rebuilding. He attributed the current crisis to the residents’ own negligence and lack of proper planning.
Ishmael Otoo is a resident at Sankor who corroborated Mr.Bediako’s assertion that the site existed before buildings were raised around the area. He, however, pleaded that the site be relocated.
“The situation is disturbing, but the site was here before many of the residents came to build their houses, and so we don’t know who is leading us to report the case. We hope the site will be relocated.”
He suggested that, in the interim, the assembly would deploy personnel to oversee the dumping process, ensuring that waste is properly managed, raked, and burned on a regular basis.
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Mr. James Tetteh, the health worker, also pleaded with the government and the Effutu Municipal Assembly to provide proper sanitation infrastructure to help manage the situation.
“I believe all this can be highly prevented through government initiatives and other concerned people’s initiatives to provide proper sanitation facilities and infrastructure, such as toilet facilities, dustbins, and latrines, to help manage the waste of these people living in this particular community, and this can help prevent the outbreak of these diseases in this community.”
