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Company News of Wednesday, February 13, 2019
Source: primenewsghana.com
2019-02-13
Residents complain that factory operations pose a serious health risk to them
Residents of Akweteyman, in the northern municipality of Akaikoi, in the Greater Accra region, said their lives were at risk due to the constant release of industrial waste in the area. atmosphere by the Royal Sweets Limited Candy Production Company in the region.
Locals say that if the plant emits smoke plumes to cover the environment and forces them to inhale, it must be relocated before an outbreak occurs. "We can not wait for an outbreak in this neighborhood … we are acting now," an angry resident said.
They are committed to using all available means to force the move or closure of the business.
For them, not only the municipal authorities, including the Accra Metropolitan Assembly and the Environmental Protection Agency, have failed, but also the Municipal Assembly of Okaikoi North.
According to them, they have been petitioning these agencies since 20o9, but these petitions have not given rise to any positive action.
Barima said he had suffered enough and was planning to sell his house and move.
"They work day and night, especially during the holidays. When you sleep at night, you feel a sudden change in the breeze. The smoke fills the room directly. Myself, my wife and my child had heart problems. I'm just recovering. I decided to sell my house and move. We simply inhale death, "he lamented.
It is thought that when the Royal Sweets candy company set up its plant in Akweteyman two decades ago, it was not the liveliest residential and commercial area it had become.
The company's production load was not as important as today.
But with Ghana's population growth at an annual growth rate of 2.5%, tensions are rising in what were once safe areas for factories and residents. Eric Akwetey's great-grandparents were the first settlers of Akweteyman. The restaurant he's been operating for years is almost kneeling because his customers do not support the emanations of Royal Sweets that dominates his pub.
Eric leads the inhabitants to bring in the authorities since 2009.
He states that he and his fellow citizens are frustrated and may be forced to take action to protect their businesses and their health. "It has deeply touched me to the point that the place is empty. This morning, not a single person came for breakfast, because this morning's broadcasts were huge, and when that happens, customers can not sit and be entertained, "she said. Eric is complaining.
Officials from the Okaikoi North Municipal Assembly were not available for an interview at the time of writing.
The directors of Royal Sweets refused to talk about resident complaints.
The World Health Organization (WHO) warned that deaths related to air pollution are expected to increase in Ghana as the urban population and the number of vehicles increase.
Statistics from the WHO reveal that air pollution kills 28,000 people in Ghana each year.
The British High Commissioner in Ghana, Iain Walker, was right to complain about the air quality in Accra.
He described as disgusting and shameful the way some unknown people indiscriminately burned car tires polluting the air around his home.
The residents of East La in the municipality of La Dadekotopon have threatened to take legal action against the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the La Municipal Assembly. Dadekotopon (LADMA) because of the activities of the plastic manufacturing company EDISAW Company Limited.
The EPA had to close the business because of the pollution, but the company resumed its activities.
The residents of Kuntunse in Accra have also threatened to go to court to stop the illegal activities of a tomato plant in the area.
The EPA organized a meeting between the factory management, which ordered it to transfer its activities to an industrial zone.
Another company, Shinefeel Ghana Company Limited in Asutsuare, was forced to shut down its plastic processing unit after public complaints.
An EPA team concluded that the plant's plastic unit did not meet agency standards.
This was after the closure of the Osudoku plant due to harmful emissions from the plant.
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