Unhygienic practices continue to prevail at one of Ghana’s oldest abattoir, the Accra slaughter house in Jamestown, due to neglect.
The facility which is a major hub for the preparation of animals for public consumption on major markets within the Accra metropolis is reeling under filth, with poor drainage systems emanating foul smell and exposing meat to flies.
Thick smokes, ostensibly stemming from indiscriminate burning of car tyres to prepare the animals, readily greets one on a visit, as clotted blood of animals killed on bare grounds sprawled in the abattoir.
This came to light yesterday during a tour by the Minister of Sanitation and Water Resources, Madam Cecilia Dapaah to some Municipal and District Assemblies in the Greater Accra Region to get first hand information on ongoing efforts to manage solid waste in the metropolis.
The tour took her to selected areas like Kaneshie, Agbogbloshie, Jamestown, Makola, Osu and Dzorwulu, all suburbs under the Accra Metropolitan Assembly (AMA), Klottey Korley and Ayawaso West Assemblies.
During the visit, it emerged that some workers at the slaughter house were unable to give updated records of payment of their water bills, raising eyebrows over unaccounted use of water, compelling the minister to direct investigations into the matter.
Inspecting other facilities at the area including toilets and some butchers shops, Mad. Dapaah charged workers and residents alike to adopt sanitary practices and rid the area of filth to provide wholesome meat for the public.
Later in an interview, she hinted plans of collaborating with the Ministry of Environment, Science, Technology and Innovation to curtail the practice of burning animals with tyres, a threat to humans and the environment according to the country’s health act.
Touching on progress made to make Accra the cleanest city as envisaged by the President, Mad. Dapaah who believed the vision was on course with the periodic desilting of drains in major centres, provision of dustbins and finding innovative ways of managing solid waste however, charged the assemblies not to relent in enforcing sanitation bye-laws.
“We have come a long way and things are better now than they used to be. At least we no longer see piled rubbish on major streets and we are working on more innovative ways to manage and treat our solid waste because to me, waste is gold, waste is money and we must look at ways to use it for our benefit,” she said.
Metropolitan Chief Executive of the AMA, Mohammed Adjei-Sowah observed the need to re-construct major drains in the metropolis to contain the volumes of waste water, with the spate of migration to the cities.
He also hinted of plans to renovate some markets to give room for trading activities as a long term project of the central government.
Mr Sowah expressed worry over the negative attitude of people toward the environment, which tended to defeat the efforts of the assembly to ensure a clean Accra, entreating the citizens to be more responsible for their surroundings.
On his part, a veterinary officer at the Ashiedu Keteke Sub-metro of the AMA, Nii Quaye called for the construction of modern slaughter houses as part of the government’s “One District, One Factory” policy to ensure food safety.
BY ABIGAIL ANNOH
