GAO LAGOON SERIOUSLY POLLUTED (PAGE 29)

The Gao Lagoon, which demarcates Tema and Kpone and has been of economic benefit to the people, is being extensively polluted with human excreta from an overflowing and damaged sewer conduit that needs rehabilitation.
This pollution is threatening fish life as fish in the lagoon have started dying.
A report by the Kpone Traditional Council has led to the arrest of four cesspool emptier drivers who had gone to dispose of liquid waste at the damaged and abandoned sewer conduit, which is flowing over into the lagoon.
A visit to the lagoon site showed a disgusting situation with flies having a field day while the waste continued to flow from the damaged sewer disposal conduit nearby.
According to the Kpone traditional priest, Numo Tetteh Leno, the lagoon, apart from being of economic benefit to the people, is also sacred.
He claimed that persistent complaints to the Tema Metropolitan Assembly (TMA) had not yielded any positive response and that the health hazard the residents were exposed to must be considered.
This is because some people ignore the health of the people and collect the dead fish for sale on the market.
Numo Leno said they observed the flow of the waste into the lagoon eight months ago and reported to the Waste Management Department of the TMA.
He said the people of Kpone were preparing to take some action to stop further disposal of waste at the site, and to forestall any eventuality the elders reported the conduct of the drivers of the cesspool emptiers to the Kpone Police Command for the necessary action to be taken.
Nii Leno said the broken-down sewer conduit could blast after a while if the disposal of human waste through the conduit was not stopped and repaired.
When the Kpone District Police Commander, Superintendent Laar Baman, was contacted, he confirmed the arrest of the four drivers, who work for private sanitation services companies, for polluting the lagoon and illegally disposing liquid waste at the site.
He gave their names as Francis Kwabena ,47, a driver of a truck with registration number GE 4809 V; Solomon Agoe, 25, who drives a truck with registration number ER 1961 W; Kwaku Nuamah, 39, who drives a truck with registration number GW 9699 U and Harrison Azaglo, 42, driver of truck number GR 4407 V.
Supt. Baman said the elders of Kpone reported to the police on Thursday, March 20, 2009 that some people were illegally dumping liquid waste into the conduit, which is no more in use.
He said when his men moved to the site, the four drivers were disposing of the waste through the broken conduit.
Supt Baman said the suspects had been granted bail and will be arraigned on Monday March 23, 2009.
The Co-ordinating Director of the Tema Metropolitan Assembly, Mr Kwaku Akpotosu, told the Daily Graphic that the Kpone site had been abandoned and funds were being sought to repair the broken conduit.
He said the repair of the conduit involved a huge capital outlay and therefore the assembly could not fund it and that discussions were underway to seek funding to rehabilitate many other sewerage conduits including that of Kpone.
Mr Akpotosu said the approved site in use at Santeo where disposal of liquid waste currently being done.
Mr Akpotosu said the assembly would monitor and ensure that people did not hide and go to dispose of waste at the Kpone site.
He appealed to all cesspool emptier drivers and sanitation services companies to stop using the Kpone disposal site or face the consequences of their actions.