Sanitation crisis: Expert decries low investment in waste management
An environmental communication expert, Dr Akwesi Bosompem Boateng, has called for increased investment in waste management, particularly in waste collection equipment, logistics and engineered landfill sites across all 260 districts, to address the country’s worsening sanitation challenges. He said the country’s waste management system remained weak due to years of inadequate investment,…
Dr Akwesi Bosompem Boateng, an environmental communication expert, has warned of the nation's deteriorating sanitation situation, urging governments to invest more in waste management. The issue stems from inadequate investment over the years, according to Dr Boateng, whose comments came after the recent June 29 floods exposed the weaknesses in the country's waste management system.
He emphasized the need for long-term solutions, such as increased funding for waste management infrastructure, enforcement of sanitation regulations, recruitment of more waste collection personnel, and reinvigorating community-based sanitation programs. The expert attributed the flooding to factors like indiscriminate waste disposal, encroachment on waterways and wetlands, weak physical planning, and unauthorized construction.
Dr Boateng commended the government's immediate response, including relief operations, drain desilting, and structural demolition, but cautioned that these measures would have only short-term effects without sustained enforcement of regulations. He highlighted the need for changing building practices, advocating for waste segregation, recycling, and composting to reduce reliance on landfill sites and improve environmental sustainability.
Dr Boateng stressed the importance of public education on environmental protection and climate change to foster behavioral change in addressing the country's flooding challenges. He called for the judicious use of funds allocated for flood prevention and environmental management, urging Ghanaians to dispose of waste responsibly, comply with planning regulations, and take responsibility for environmental protection.
Written by urgent.news from Ghanaian Times's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
