Odaw River Still Polluted

The Odaw River, which runs through the Accra metropolis, continues to be one of the most polluted rivers anywhere. This river flows from the Abokobi and Adjankote hills through Ashongman, Atomic Energy area, West Legon, Achimota, Alajo, Avenor, Agbogbloshie and finally into the Atlantic Ocean through the Korle Lagoon. Along the line, the various communities dump their refuse and waste into the river. It has become the receptacle of Accra�s rubbish and solid waste. It is a place for excreta, as some people squat along its banks to attend to the call of nature. Right from the Avenor bridge up to the Graphic Road, residents and squatters living alongside the shoulders of the channel dump all manner of solid waste into the drain, described by city authorities as critical to Accra�s flood prevention. Near the bridge on the Graphic Road is a burgeoning settlement of foodstuff sellers, garages and scrap dealers who dump all their wastes of old fridges, television sets, and electrical items into the Odaw. The floods, which have swept through Accra over the years, appear to be beckoning this year. This is because the Odaw is choked, and can hardly carry any water into the Korle Lagoon, its outlet into the sea. With the approach of the rainy season, concerns have been raised about floods. The last time there was a major rainfall in Accra, various areas on the Graphic Road were inundated and the river nearly burst its banks. The various companies near the Graphic Road suffered damages. The question is, what are the authorities doing about the Odaw?