On Tuesday, this week, we carried a story with the headline “Kumasi continues to reel under growing filth,” which, once again, exposed the poor sanitation situation in the Ashanti Regional capital.
Our report stated that in the last one month, The Chronicle had observed mountains of garbage at various locations of the Central Business District (CBD), including the median of roads.
Indeed, sanitation challenges at the CBD in Kumasi and some business districts in the entire country may not be news, as several publications have been made on same.
Whilst monitoring the sanitation situation in the CDB in Kumasi, The Chronicle has also observed the congestion in the city center, which, we believe, is contributing to the menace. It is our view that the city authorities appear overwhelmed by the number of traders and those who patronise the CBD.
At the beginning of this year, the Kumasi Traditional Council, under the leadership of Baffour Owusu Amankwatia VI, who doubles as the Warlord of the Asantehene, warned that if the Kumasi Metropolitan Assembly (KMA) failed to decongest and clean Kumasi, the traditional leaders would take up the charge and clean the Metropolis.
The traditional leader sought to challenge the KMA and the Ashanti Regional Co-ordinating Council about the inability to stamp their authority and rid Kumasi off unauthorised structures and filth.
Indeed, about three months into the said directive, it is unfortunate to state that sanitation in Kumasi continues to get worse by the day. Kumasi has, undoubtedly, grown in leaps and bounds, with a corresponding upsurge in garbage production.
The question is whether the KMA has run short of waste collectors or does not have the financial strength to pay their staff. One may ask what they use they tolls/taxes they collect on a daily basis for?
It further begs the question about who monitors the sanitation situation in the CBD, especially during weekends. Who monitors and punishes those who litter the CBD? Why has the monthly clean-up exercise in Kumasi ceased?
It is mindboggling, for want of a better expression, to see marketplaces and some key areas across the country engulfed in filth.
The Chronicle believes the Ashanti Regional Co-ordinating Council must offer leadership and, together with the KMA, help to nip this canker in the bud before danger strikes.
