Residents Block Illegal Burial Site

The grave being covered by some residents

 

Tension erupted at Apire, near Santasi in the Kwadaso Municipality of the Ashanti Region, when residents prevented a family from burying a seven-year-old boy along the banks of a river on Saturday, September 6, 2025.

The family had dug a grave close to the river and were preparing to inter the child when some youth in the community, led by a resident known as Bernard, mobilised to stop the act. They argued that the location was not an authorised burial ground and posed serious danger to the community.

The residents quickly filled and covered the grave to avert any attempt to use the site.

Health and environmental concerns have since been raised, with community leaders warning that burying human remains near water bodies could contaminate water sources. Experts say decomposing bodies can release bacteria and harmful chemicals that pollute rivers, increasing the risk of waterborne diseases such as cholera, typhoid, and diarrhea.

“This river serves as a source of water for many households. Allowing a burial there would have poisoned the very resource that sustains us,” Bernard said after the incident.

The family has now begun discussions with community leaders to find a designated cemetery for the burial of their child.

Meanwhile, residents are appealing to the Kwadaso Municipal Assembly to enforce stricter oversight on burial practices to protect public health and the environment.

FROM David Afum, Apire

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