Mr Alfred Okoe Vanderpiuye, Accra Metropolitan Chief Executive, on Tuesday said efficient and successful waste management depends on availability of a well engineered land fill site. However, the AMA did not have one.
He said the current land fill sites at Sarbah, Oblogo, Achimota, Abokobi and Ablekuma were all full and might not be available for use after January, 2013, and there was, therefore, the need to look for other sites.
Mr Vanderpuye was speaking at the on-going New Year School on the topic “Strengthening Public/Private Partnership in Innovation and Commercialization of Waste Management to Meet the Demands of the 21st Century.
He said the old mountainous dump sites at Oblogo and Mallam were being capped with World Bank assistance.
The University of Ghana's Institute of Continuing and Distance Education is organising the conference on the theme: "The Key to Future Health of Our Nation: Improved Water, Sanitation and Hygiene".
He said the land fill site project, which was intended to be developed at Kwabenya in 2005, under the Second Urban Environmental Sanitation Project (UESP II) had to be abandoned due to encroachment on the land, non-payment of compensation and erection of electric pylons on the proposed site.
"Nonetheless as a Metropolitan Assembly, we have the responsibility to ensure the development of a well engineered land fill. This would provide a onetime solution to the challenges of solid waste disposal currently facing the metropolis and other adjoining municipalities and districts in disposing of solid waste," he said.
He announced that the government had acquired a 663 million dollar environmental and sanitation loan facility from the Exim and Standard Chartered Banks to undertake sanitation project that would transform the insanitary condition of the metropolis.
He said part of the facility would be directed towards lifting up flood prone deprived communities, by not only covering their drains but also tarring their roads and providing waste bins as a total community upgrade.
Mr Vanderpuye said the establishment of metropolitan, municipal and district assemblies was to fulfill the objective of decentralization to ensure development of all communities of the country.
"Central to this is the issue of sanitation. The assemblies do not lack the commitment to develop their communities. However lack of adequate funding becomes a hindrance in the discharge of their responsibilities.
"I, therefore, join the advocacy for establishment of Municipal Bonds and other funding sources to facilitate execution of their responsibilities," he said.