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KMA owes waste
collection contractors GH¢60,645
Kumasi, Feb. 19,
Ghanadot/GNA - The Kumasi Metropolitan Assembly (KMA)
owes small-scale waste collection contractors about GH¢60,645
being outstanding bills for July to December 2008.
Mr Anthony Mensah, Director in-charge of Waste Management
Department of KMA, who announced this, said the contractors
were engaged to sweep specified roads and side drains,
focusing on the arterial roads within the metropolis.
He was launching a massive clean-up exercise scheduled for
February 21 to 23 in Kumasi.
The exercise would be undertaken by KMA in collaboration
with management of Zoomlion Ghana Limited.
Mr Mensah pointed out that the average monthly service cost
of solid waste management, covering both collection and
disposal, was about GH¢720,000 that far exceeded the
assembly’s budget which was dependent on the government.
He expressed concern about the irregular release of funds by
government that often resulted in accumulated debts to
contractors making waste management service delivery
unsustainable to enhance a clean environment.
Mr Mensah said the assembly had an Engineered Sanitary
Landfill Facility located at Oti near Dompoase and the
current phase of the developed cells were expected to be
operational for the next two years before the second phase
would be installed.
However, he said development of the second phase expected to
be completed by January 2011, could not be realised due to
lack of funds and operation of the landfill facility had
been contracted to a private contractor at an average
monthly cost of GH¢300,000 based on GH¢7.2 per tonne of
waste deposited at the site.
On strategies to combat challenges hampering effective waste
management in the metropolis, Mr Mensah said the assembly
intended to evacuate accumulated refuse located at about 40
transfer sites.
In addition, the assembly had decided to purchase about
30,000 pieces of 240 litre household bins to support the
house-to-house collection component at an estimated cost of
GH¢3,000,000.
Mr Mensah said the central business district of the
metropolis would be decongestion to ensure free flow of both
human and vehicular traffic and reduction in waste
generation to improve the aesthetic values of the
metropolis.
GNA
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