Deplorable Sanitation At Galilea-Maheam in Ga South Municipal

By Raissa Sambou

Danger is looming at Galilea-Maheam, in the Ga South Municipal of the Greater Accra Region, as residents have resorted to the indiscriminate disposal of liquid waste in the area due to the lack of drainage system.

Almost all the bathhouses in the area have been channelled into the roads which also serve as gutters for the disposal of urine and watery waste from household chores.

This, has made the stench emanating from the area, especially at dawn and early mornings, unbearable.

A number residents interviewed by the Ghanaian Times said if not properly checked, they risked contracting diseases including cholera, especially as the rains have set in.

Recently the Ministry of Health (MoH) warned the general public of the possible outbreak of cholera and other infectious diseases, with the onset of the rains, if proper hygiene was not observed.

The construction of drains which begun at Galilea Bus Stop had stopped about two years ago, with no sign of the contractor on site.

Efforts to reach the Municipal Chief Executive of the area to comment on the matter proved futile.

Some residents of the area blamed their insanitary acts on the municipal assembly, saying they had no other option that turning the roads into drains.

A 33-year-old trader in the area, Ms Elizabeth Otoo, indicated that the only way the insanitary practices could stop was for the authorities to revisit the drainage project that had stalled at the Galilea junction.

She mentioned that if proper means of disposing liquid waste was not provided in the area, the insanitary practices would just get worse.

However, another resident, Isaac Bleboo blamed the insanitary condition in the area on residents, saying despite the unavailability of drains in the community, the situation could be managed till authorities come in and salvage the situation.

"Excuse me to say some people living here are very dirty and irresponsible, they just do not value proper hygiene, they dump refuse around and even make their children defecate openly in the area.

They are also part of the problem here. It is true we urgently need proper drainage systems here but that should not make everybody turn the roads into gutters," he lamented.

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