Members of Ho Rotary Club at Dzodze on ‘End Cholera Now’ campaign
The Level of filth in Aflao is scaring residents as many of them fear the situation could escalate the recent cholera outbreak in the area.
A tour by DAILY GUIDE in Aflao and its environs within the Ketu South Municipality of the Volta Region has revealed that the level of filth and insanitary conditions in the area was overwhelming, making it difficult for waste managers and other health and environmental officials to control the situation.
In Aflao, gutters along roads were choked with refuse and sand. Interestingly,
the spaces along these smelly and stagnant gutters were filled with food vendors of all kinds.
Filthy Lorry Parks and Markets
At the main lorry station, drivers and other food vendors had also turned the shoulders of the road leading to the main Ghana- Togo border into a bus terminal.
The roads had been turned into a mini market with streets filled with refuse.
The inadequate refuse containers have a spill over.
Officials of Zoomlion, a waste management company and the Municipal Environmental Officer, Aaron Amedzro, had disclosed that the chaos in the area ‘is making waste management difficult.’
He added that Ketu- South is a heterogeneous and highly populated area, particularly Aflao and so the waste produced is the highest in the region, hence the difficulty in managing
it.
Traders and drivers operating under these insanitary conditions also blamed the municipal assembly for not working hard enough although they
are made to pay tolls and taxes.
The Aflao market was also dirty and dusty with some vendors displaying their wares on the ground.
The least said about the level of littering there, the better!
Although there is a public toilet about 30 metres away from the market, children are allowed to use sides of the facility for open defecation.
Interestingly, food items are displayed openly on the floor, a few metres from the public toilet and the open defecation area.
The markets main rubbish container was overflowing with rubbish scattered all over. Dzodze, the capital of Ketu-North had similar insanitary conditions but not with the same magnitude of waste littering.
Rising Cases
Meanwhile, cholera cases in the Volta Region had increased from 201, two weeks ago to 301 cases by the end of last week.
The death toll had also increased from five to seven.
Cases in Ketu-South had increased from 110 to 150 with two deaths, while Ketu-North had an increase of 10 to 39 cases with two deaths. Nkwanta-South had also seen an increase from 67 to 90 cases with three deaths, while four new cases were recorded in the Kadjebi district.
Ho West recorded no new case of cholera with its figure still at 12, while Ho Municipality recorded eight new cases putting the figure now at 10.
The Volta Regional Director of Health, Joseph Teye Nuertey, hinted that food vendors in affected areas would soon be screened.
Window of Hope
The Head of Disease Surveillance Unit at the Regional Health Directorate, Mr Matthew Drafor, noted that although the insanitary conditions in the affected areas were heightening fear among residents, he expressed hope in the ongoing health education campaign dubbed: ‘End Cholera Now’ being undertaken by the Rotary Club to rid the region of filth.
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