Ashanti Region: Collapsed rubbish dump kills boy, 14

A 14-year-old boy has died after a huge rubbish dump collapsed on him at the Oti Landfill Site located at Kuwait-Aprabon in the Asokwa Municipality of the Ashanti Region.

The body of Joseph Anang, also known as ‘Paa Kow’ was pulled out of a pile of rotting debris when two other victims who escaped unhurt notified local authorities of the development which occurred around 2 p.m., on Sunday (30 April).

Anang was quickly rushed to the Kumasi South Hospital but was pronounced dead on arrival. The body has since been deposited at the Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital for preservation.

Confirmation

Assemblyman for the area, Elliot Fosu Bannor Jr. who confirmed the incident said, these kids have been scavenging around the landfill site which has now turned mountainous. So, the victim went there with two of his friends he took his operation to the top but unfortunately, the rubbish caved in.

“The information came late because the other surviving victims feared they may be beaten or harmed but we swiftly moved to the scene with our shovel and that was when we made the shocking discovery”, he said.

Nuisance

“This is beyond me”, the Assemblyman said. At least 20 scrap dealers have taken over the area as I speak now, and their businesses have been booming. They have become a nuisance because a chunk of the rubbish we make is still deposited here, even though it has been decommissioned”, Elliot revealed.

Re-engineering work stalls 

The Oti Landfill facility was the largest disposal site, receiving about 1,500 metric tonnes of garbage every day from Kumasi and its environs.

A contract was however awarded to re-engineer the landfill site and further transform the appearance of the landscape after it had been decommissioned by the government. The dump site, which was formerly an eyesore, will be transformed after it is completed.

But a visit to the project site was evident that the work has stalled. Elliot, who doubles as the presiding member of the Asokwa Municipal Assembly is unhappy about the development.

“I remember two or three years ago, the place was decommissioned and re-engineered and it was awarded on contract at an amount of $28 million but as I speak to you the project has come to a halt”, he revealed.

“The contractors have left the site and we are now faced with an existential threat”, he added.

SOURCE: DAILY MAIL GH