The Greater Accra Regional Minister, Mr. Henry Quartey has assured that as part of the beautification of Agbogbloshie, the unpleasant smell at the place will soon disappear.
Blacksmith Institute, a pollution-centered non-profit organization in 2013 ranked Agbogbloshie as the most toxic and polluted place in the world.
Speaking to the media, Mr. Henry Quartey said plans are far advanced to beauty Agbogbloshie and get rid of the filth which will beautify the place.
“We are looking at within the next three weeks, excavators would start removing debris at Agbogbloshie and the place will soon become a better place where people will spend time to visit.
Mr. Quartey stated that after the excavation, a retention wall is going to be built to prevent any impending flood.
According to him, the decision on what to use the place for will solely be decided by the central government but the interest of the community will also be considered.
He refuted the allegation that the place has been sold to a private developer. He added that apart from giving a portion of the land for the Agenda 111 Project, where a modern hospital is going to be built, no other person has access to the land.
Agbogbloshie is a toxic threat
The burning of e-waste releases toxic fumes that spread throughout the community, threatening city dwellers.
The toxic chemical fumes released get into the food market and get inside the soil throughout the area when it rains.
Agbogbloshie, in Accra, Ghana, is the second largest e-waste processing area in West Africa.
E-waste, or electronic waste, is a broad term referring to a range of electronics, including refrigerators, microwaves, and televisions.
Because of the heterogeneous composition of these materials, recycling them safely is complex and can require a high level of skill.
Ghana annually imports around 215,000 tons of secondhand consumer electronics from abroad, primarily from Western Europe, and generates another 129,000 tons of e-waste every year.
Assuming growth continues in a linear manner, Ghana’s e-waste imports will double by 2020.
Approximately half of these imports can be immediately utilized, or reconditioned and sold.
The remainder of the material is recycled, and valuable parts are salvaged.
A range of recovery activities takes place in Agbogbloshie, each presenting unique occupational and ecological risks. The primary activity of concern from a public health perspective is the burning of sheathed cables to recover the copper material inside.
Styrofoam packaging is utilized as a fuel to burn the material in open areas. Cables can contain a range of heavy metals, including lead. To some extent, these metals can migrate through particulate in the smoke, while significant amounts are also left behind on area soils.
