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The ongoing re-engineering and decommissioning work at the Kpone Landfill site, which started in June 2020, is more than 90 per cent complete.
The redevelopment aims to serve as an ideal location for social gatherings and to create a recreational park for the public.
More than one million cubic waste has been moved from the site and gas wells have been drilled into the waste mass to take out methane gas.
Installation of pipes under the landfill to extract liquid waste known as leachate into a dug-out pond has also been done.
Also, about 35-hectare land has been covered with artificial turf to beautify the site.
The re-engineering is being undertaken by Zoomlion Group with support from some American landfill engineers.
EAP Consult Limited is the consultant.
During a visit to inspect the ongoing works yesterday, the Minister of Sanitation and Water Resources, Cecilia Abena Dapaah, expressed satisfaction with the work done.
She explained that the re-engineering was to, among others, help address the environmental hazards and awful smell emanating from the site.
Ms Dapaah, however, urged the contractor to expedite action to complete the work.
With regard to waste management, she encouraged recycling, stating that the country generated about 7.2 million tonnes of waste, with plastic waste accounting for 11 per cent.
She said the Sanitation Ministry was working together with the Ministry of Environment, Science, Technology and Innovation (MESTI) and the Local Government to ensure proper waste management in the country.
The Project Manager for Zoomlion, Kwadwo Osei, explained that what was left to be done included the construction of a road network within the site, as well as drainage works.
“There are some few drainage works that have to be done.
We are also looking at putting in some more greens and trees around the area,” he said.
He indicated that the work would be completed by the end of August this year and subsequently handed over to the Kpone-Kantamanso Municipal Assembly to develop and manage the place.
He, however, called for other landfill sites to be turned into recreational centres to generate revenue for the development of the country and also contribute to the fulfilment of the agenda to make Accra clean.
The Municipal Chief Executive (MCE) of Kpone Katamanso, Samuel Okoe Amanquah, said the assembly was currently engaging the Jospong Group of Companies, the Ministry of Sanitation and some investors on the plan for the recreational ground and other facilities such as restaurants.
“We are hoping that once the project is handed over to us, we would before December sign agreements with potential investors and then give them timelines to take off,” he said.
The Kpone landfill site was initially intended to process the waste generated by the Tema Metro and Kpone Municipality, however, the site began receiving more than its capacity.
Surrounding communities over the years endured smoke, fire and the leakage of poisonous liquid into their water bodies from the site.
Upon assessment of the area, President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo and the Sanitation Minister pushed for the start of the re-engineering of the landfill site.
