An Epistle to the MCE; When will the mountainous Dumping sites in Derma be Disembarked?

Derma is a town in the Ahafo Region of Ghana. It has an approximated population of Twenty-Four Thousand, Six Hundred and Fifty-Three (24,653). This approximation or extrapolation emanates from the report of the Ghana Statistical Service’s 2021 Population and Housing Census (2021PHC). It is a town dominated by farming activities. The main crops grown or cultivated by the farmers there are Tomatoes, Garden Eggs, Peper, Mango, Okro, Grandnut, Yam, Cocoa, Plantain, and Cassava.

However, it is a town made up of many distinctive tribes such as: Komkombas, Dagares, Kusaase, Ewes, Mamprusi, and Akans (mainly Asantes). Over the years, Derma has been termed as “Asikafo) Kurom” which literally means, a town of the rich people. This name was given to it by the tomato buyers primarily due to the dominance of tomato farming which served as the mainstay of the community. It is the town that has produced a lot of scholars who are currently occupying positions of prominence in this country.

However, some of the scholars that I am talking are: Hon. Dr. Benjamin Yeboah Sekyere (MP, Tano South Constituency), Dr. George Domfe (Senior Lecturer, Research Fellow, & Economist, University of Ghana), Mr. Ransford Agyei (Former Director General, Internal Audit Agency, Accra), Mrs. Ofori Jumah a.k.a Maame Lawyer (Former Principal State Attorney, Accra), Mr. Michael Agyei (Municipal Internal Auditor and soon to be called to the Bar as a Solicitor & Barrister of the Supreme Court), Mr. Job Boahen (Principal Auditor, Audit Service, Konogo &  PhD Student, Valley View University), Mr. Patrick Kwarteng Sarpong a.k.a P.K ( Presidential Staffer, Flagstaff House, Accra) and several others. The hard truth is however, the town seriously lacks proper sanitation in its environs. You see, the clear instances of sanitation challenges are: lack of toilet facilities, poor drainage system, and availability of mountainous dumping sites (bɔɔla Bepɔ).

With the greatest of respect and humility, I would like to employ this my article as a means to passionately appeal to the Municipal Chief Executive of the Tano South Municipal Assembly-Bechem in the person of Hon. Collins Offinam Takyi whom I refer to as my elder brother and friend to as a matter of urgency to do something about the poor nature of the dumping sites (Bɔɔla Bepɔ) of Derma. However, it is my most heart-felt appeal to him to prioritize the disembarkation of the mountainous dumping sites (Bɔɔla Bepɔ) in Derma.

Dangers Posed by the Mountainous Dumping Sites (Bɔɔla Bepɔ) are as follows:

Diseases

Seriously, the situation of maintainous dumping sites in Derma houses diseases such as Cholera, Typhoid, Diarrhoea and  others. However, the residents living around these horribly stenchy places suffer from the diseases mentioned above especially whenever it rains. In fact, by extension, many residents in the town are potentially to be infected by these diseases and if care is not taken, it could lead to an endemic situation in the town.

Promotion of Poor Sanitation

Environmentally speaking, the situation of the mountainous dumping sites (Bɔɔla Bepɔ) in Derma does not promote good sanitation and hygiene to the good people of the town. However, the most obvious evidence is that, the town looks dirty and filthy whenever it rains or in even in the dry season. This particular situation tarnishes the good image of the town and moreso, destroys the beautiful architectural integrity of the town. In fact, the town is not well spoken of by visitors when they attend funerals of their loved ones at the end of every month.

Electrocution

Many years ago, the entire town folks were thrown into a total shock when a son of one  Mr. Anane Kwaku (a.k.a Zongo) was electrocuted when he went to the top of the mountainous dumping site (bɔɔla Bepɔ) near Agya Ali’s Nikanikamu to ease himself over there. In fact, this unfortunate incidence created room for a pandemonium  in the town; the residents of the town were plunged into a helter-skelter situation. In fact, this has left an immeasurable psychological truama in the minds of the parents of this poor boy.

My Fervent and Passionate Appeal

I am respectfully by this my article making a passionate appeal to the Tano South Municipal Assembly through the Municipal Chief Executive, Hon. Collins Offinam Takyi to prioritize regular disembarkation of the mountainous dumping sites in Derma to create an environment free of diseases such as Cholera, Diarrhoea, Typhoid, Malaria etc. However, I am  humbly suggesting to you, the Hon. MCE as the President incarnate in the municipality to ensure that, those mountainous dumping sites (Mount Everest) around Derma to be disembarked to promote proper sanitation condition in Derma. Also, I would to suggest that, big containers are placed at the disembarked dumping sites to collect refuse or waste and when they become full, they finally collected by a Compact Truck and dumped at a properly designated place.

Conclusively, I would like to conclude that, Derma has received less developmental projects in the reign of the MCE Hon. Collins Offinam Takyi in the last almost  Six years now. In fact, apart from the road construction stretching from Techimantia to Asuoso, I can hardly see any visible projects so embarked on by the administration of Hon. Collins Offinam Takyi in the Derma township. Honestly, the hard truth must be told; Derma has benefited a woefully inadequate level of developmental projects under the leadership of Hon. Collins Offinam Takyi. Admittedly, some degree of developmental projects have been done by him as far as Derma is concerned but  I want to honorably point it out to him that, it is woefully inadequate. Once again, I want appeal to the MCE to ensure that Derma gets its fair share in the municipal cake and the national cake for that matter in these two years and five months left in the Akufo-Addo’s administration.  In fact, effort must be made to correct the visible developmental deficits or inequalities dotted around Derma vicinity.

By Justice Reuben Adusei