The Accra Metropolitan Assembly (AMA) has issued a dire warning about a looming public health crisis, revealing that all landfill sites within the city are at full capacity.
The lack of proper waste management infrastructure could lead to a disease outbreak, according to city officials.
The alarming disclosure was made during a working visit by the Parliamentary Committee on Sanitation and Water Resources to assemblies in the Greater Accra Region.
Engineer Solomon Noi, Director of Waste Management at the AMA, explained that Accra is rapidly running out of viable options for waste disposal.
“We used to dump at Nsumia in Ga West, but that site was filled. Now, we use Nsawam, which was later turned into a regional site. But even that is privately managed and not sufficient,” he said.
He added that the only engineered landfill currently available is in Kpone, while another is being considered at Ayidan in the Ga South Municipality.
“With the exception of Kpone and the potential new site at Ayidan, there’s nothing adequately designed to handle the city’s waste,” Mr. Noi stressed.
He warned that the absence of engineered systems means that toxic leachate from unregulated dumpsites could seep into water bodies, posing a serious environmental and health risk, especially during the rainy season.
“We’re transporting waste farther out, but it’s still not far enough. Rain causes the leachate to flow back into rivers and depressions that connect to the city,” he noted.
Adding to the concern, Mr. Noi highlighted the risks associated with healthcare and sanitary waste, which often ends up in general dumps where it mingles with other trash. He pointed to waste pickers, many of whom are migrants, as potential carriers of pathogens back into urban areas.
“All hospital and medical waste gets mixed in. These waste pickers then return to town, and we see recurring outbreaks of cholera, typhoid, and other infections,” he said.
To break this dangerous cycle, he recommended urgent investment in a modern intermediate waste treatment facility, such as an incineration plant.
“This type of facility can handle non-recyclables like diapers, sanitary pads, and healthcare waste. Pathogens die in the furnace, and the residual ash can then be safely buried,” he explained.
The AMA is urging immediate government action to prevent an impending sanitation and health crisis in the capital.