Efforts to revamp refuse collection across the Tamale metropolis have gained fresh momentum following calls by the Minister for Local Government, Chieftaincy and Religious Affairs, Mahama Ayariga, to construct a dedicated waste transfer station in the region.
The initiative aims to streamline refuse management by eliminating the long journeys currently undertaken by local tricycles to dump rubbish at final disposal sites.
Speaking during a working tour of the Northern Region—which included an inspection of the Balahei landfill facility in Tamale—the Minister underscored that the operational radius to the existing landfill presents a major hurdle for smaller collection vehicles.
“The problem from our analysis is that the distance is too far for the tricycles… so we need to construct a transfer station in Tamale town and leave the evacuation here to the big trucks that can haul it here,” he said.
Under the proposed strategy, tricycles gathering rubbish within a 2-to-4-kilometre range will deposit their loads at a central intermediate point, allowing heavy-duty hauliers to transport the consolidated refuse to the main site.
However, local authority officials suggest the plan should go further to match the area’s rapid expanse. Luruwia Hamidu Kanton, the Acting Sanitation Director for the Tamale Metropolitan Assembly, pointed out that a single facility might prove insufficient. He urged for a minimum of two transfer hubs to ensure comprehensive coverage across the metropolis.
“Tamale is large. You don’t tell somebody who has waste in Dungu or UDS area to bring the waste to where we are earmarking within town central, it becomes a bit of a challenge,” he noted.
By: Rainbowradioonline.com/Ghana
