The Municipal Environmental Health Officer (MEHO), Patrick Tsigbey, added that apart from the Greater Accra Metropolitan Area (GAMA) Projects, a total of 18 institutional toilets have been provided in all schools across the municipality to curb the open defecation menace among pupils.
Solid waste disposal which was another major challenge a few years ago in Ashaiman, has improved tremendously. Hitherto, piles of uncollected solid waste could be seen on all major streets, accompanied by a foul smell and houseflies.
Interestingly, in the mid-90s, a popular refuse dump at Taifa was Ashaiman’s own version of the Eiffel Tower.
Open drains were so heavily choked that it had to take the personal intervention of the then President of the Republic, Flt. Lt. Jerry John Rawlings to de-silt open drains in Ashaiman and to get the ‘Eiffel Tower’ dump site cleared. Indeed, during those days, cases of cholera and other insanitary-related diseases were rampant in Ashaiman.
However, through years of concerted efforts on the part of city authorities and the traditional leaders in Ashaiman, the narrative has changed for the better indeed! According to the Municipal Environmental Health Officer, effective management of the challenge has brought the canker to an end, saying, “Not even a single dumpsite is left unattended to in the municipality currently.
“Daily, we ensure that every solid waste is lifted from the centers across the municipality so that we don’t have spillovers. As a result, if you walk through Ashaiman especially around the market areas, it will be difficult for you to notice any uncollected solid waste.”
Enforcement of environmental by-laws is also playing a part in the new Ashaiman as part of moves by the Assembly to rid the municipality of filth. According to the Ashaiman Municipal Prosecutor, George Kartey, the past few years have seen a number of persons, who flouted environmental by-laws in the municipality, prosecuted.
He added that strict enforcement of environmental by-laws in Ashaiman is part of the reason why Ashaiman has become one of the cleanest towns in the country.