By Opesika Tetteh Puplampu, GNA
Kasseh, Nov. 10, GNA – The Ada East District Assembly and Zoomlion Ghana Limited have offered conflicting explanations for persistent delays in refuse collection in the district, as heaps of uncollected waste continue to pose sanitation concerns in affected communities.
The disagreement emerged at a stakeholders’ meeting convened by the Member of Parliament (MP) for Ada, Madam Comfort Doyoe, to identify the challenges affecting waste management and explore measures to improve sanitation.
Mr Emmanuel Adjetey-Fio, Zoomlion’s District Manager for Ada East, attributed the company’s inability to carry out its waste collection duties effectively to delays in receiving payments dating back to January.
He said the situation had affected the company’s ability to procure fuel for its sanitation operations.
However, Mr Kenneth Kofi Kanor, District Chief Executive (DCE) for Ada East, disputed the explanation, saying the assembly had inherited outstanding bills covering about one and a half years from the previous administration when he assumed office.
Mr Kanor added that he had cleared the inherited arrears and that cheques for Zoomlion had been signed and were ready, although concerns about the company’s operational performance had contributed to the delay in releasing payments since January.
He said the assembly paid Zoomlion GH¢98,000 quarterly and also questioned the company’s operational capacity in the district, revealing that it did not have a dedicated truck to evacuate full refuse containers.
According to him, Zoomlion sometimes relied on trucks from Sege or Tema to transport accumulated waste, contributing to delays in clearing refuse from collection points.
Madam Doyoe, who expressed disappointment over the situation, announced plans to mobilise the youth to undertake cleaning exercises, with a commitment to provide trucks for refuse evacuation and personally pay the young people for their services.
She said she was particularly concerned about the health implications of the situation for residents, especially mothers and market women who conducted their businesses amid heaps of rubbish and smoke from burning waste.
Madam Doyoe described the situation as unacceptable, saying residents should not continue to live and work in unhygienic conditions while the institutions responsible for sanitation management struggled to resolve the problem.
She said she would not wait for the assembly and Zoomlion to settle their differences while communities continued to bear the consequences of poor sanitation.
The MP said her intervention was intended to provide immediate relief to affected communities while discussions continued to address the underlying financial and operational challenges.
The disagreement has brought renewed attention to payment arrangements, the adequacy of waste collection equipment and coordination between the Aasembly and its sanitation service provider.
GNA
Edited by Laudia Anyorkor Nunoo/Kenneth Odeng Adade
Reporter: Opesika Tetteh Puplampu, GNA