AGBOGBLOSHIE DEATH TRAP

OUR front page story today reveals worrying environmental and sanitation pollution at Agbogbloshie in Accra as a result of the dumping of e-waste at a refuse dump in the area.
According to the story, heaps of old computers and accessories that are unusable are continuously being dumped at the place without due regard to the environmental implications.
Also worrying is the fact that the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) so far has not acted to address the concerns and, thus, the harm to the environment and to human health persists.
As a developing country, we have been saddled with numerous environmental and sanitation challenges, and the more we try to overcome these challenges, the more we are faced with daunting concerns that deserve urgent attention.
Indeed, the threat of e-waste on our environment and indeed human life is beginning to attract international review.
It is believed most of the e-waste dumped here is from European, American and Japanese manufacturers and this has been an issue of investigation by GREENPEACE International, an independent global environmental advocacy organisation.
In an investigative trip to the country, the Netherlands-based organisation described Ghana as the latest place where they had discovered high tech toxic trash causing horrendous pollution.
Many Ghanaians may be oblivious of the dangers of e-waste but on the quiet obsolete electronic equipment that are often laden with toxic chemicals like lead and mercury with the potential to cause cancer, as well as brain and nervous system disorders, may be spelling the doom of innocent Ghanaians. In children, some of the chemicals are believed to interfere with their sexual reproductive systems.
Interestingly, most of the e-waste understandably is imported into the country from Europe, America and Asia under illegal circumstances.
The GREENPEACE report notes that containers filled with old and often broken computers, monitors and TVs — from world reputed brands including Philips, Canon, Dell, Microsoft, Nokia, Siemens and Sony — arrive in Ghana from Germany, Korea, Switzerland and The Netherlands under the false label of “second-hand goods”.
The threat may continue to loom especially as presently the country does not seem to have clearly defined guidelines or policies on the disposal of such waste.
Perhaps, as a country we are waking up to the threat but it should not take us long to realise that it is a danger too high to be dealt with in “our own time”. The need for urgent action is very pressing and the EPA and the various sanitation agencies need to move swiftly.
The DAILY GRAPHIC also wishes to challenge other relevant state agencies, departments and indeed all Ghanaians to wake up and fight such dumping practices, to protect the environment and human lives.