The problem of waste management: a case study of Kumasi Metropolitan Assembly Waste Management Department

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1996-07-14
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The Kumasi Metropolitan Assembly - Waste Management Department (KMA - WMD ) is the sole body responsible for waste management in the Kumasi Metropolis as provided for in the Local Government Act, 1971. This all important responsibility has not been carried out effectively and efficiently to a great extent resulting in mounting heaps of refuse in most parts of the city. As the Waste Management Authority of a city in a developing country, the KMA-WIVED had no option but to use the open dumping method of Waste Disposal. The Kumasi City Waste was thus dumped at Ahenema Kokoben which met the international criteria for waste disposal. However, in February 1993, the residents of Ahenama Kokoben physically barred the KMA from dumping any more waste in their village because of the failure of the KMA to meet their demands. The primary object of this study is to find out the health and environmental hazards posed to the people living in the vicinity of the dump site and suggest ways to improve the waste management system in the metropolis. The inhabitants of Ahenema Kokoben were subjected to stench, smoke and smog nuisance originating from the dump site. Though questionable the inhabitants claimed they suffered from pests and diseases which they attributed to the dumping. Among the prescribed recommendations is autonomy for the KMA-WMD, waste minimisation and educational campaigns.
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A thesis submitted to the Board of Postgraduate Studies, Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology, Kumasi, in partial fulfilment of the requirement for the award of Postgraduate Diploma in Economics and Industrial Management, 1996
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