With sanitation conditions deteriorating in the Awutu Senya East Municipality of the Central Region, residents are sounding the alarm over a possible resurgence of cholera and are calling for immediate government intervention.
In the Central Business District (CBD) of Kasoa, uncollected garbage piles are a common sight—lining road kerbs, intersections, and bus stops. The situation is especially severe around the New Market area and the old market zone, where the stench from decomposing waste has become unbearable for traders and commuters alike.
Some transport operators, whose terminal has effectively become a dumping ground, voiced their frustration in an interview with Channel One News on Sunday, May 18.
“We are suffering, there’s an awful stench here. They deposit the refuse here at night. The refuse here includes human excreta, and we are inhaling all these,” one operator lamented.
Their fears are not unfounded. A cholera outbreak last year claimed eight lives and infected many more in the municipality. Residents now worry that without urgent intervention, the situation could spiral into another public health crisis.
To address the growing concern, Member of Parliament for the area, Phyllis Naa Koryoo Okunnor, advocated for modern waste management solutions in the CBD.
“We are hoping for new technologies that will come on board. I know that certain technologies and places are used to collate the refuse, and at the end of the day, they sell it to companies for recycling,” she told Channel One News.
Responding to the public outcry, the Awutu Senya East Municipal Assembly has pledged improvements in waste handling. Municipal Chief Executive for Kasoa, Seth Sabah Serwonoo-Banini, said efforts were underway to identify and secure dedicated waste collection sites.
“One of the things that we have started is to search for places that, if need be, we can acquire to keep our containers—places that we can convert into use to serve this need,” he stated.
Residents remain hopeful that swift and sustainable action will be taken to avert another health disaster.
