Filth piles up at closed beaches - Govt, Zoomlion to clean up

This was how Kumasamba La Bamba Beach looks like (Filth has been piling up on the beaches since there were closed)

PEOPLE who enjoy spending time at the beach may be unhappy at the closure of beaches across the country as part of measures to contain the spread of the novel coronavirus.

And while some may believe the absence of pleasure seekers could guarantee the clean beaches the country has craved for, the opposite seems to be the case as discovered by Graphic Showbiz.

In the last few weeks, Graphic Showbiz has visited some beaches in the capital and found that filth has piled up at a number of them. Some of the beaches visited included the La Pleasure Beach, Kumasamba La Bamba Beach, La Boma Beach Resort and the Tawala Beach.

While the La Boma Beach Resort and La Pleasure Beach have clean shores, places such as the Tawala and Kumasamba La Bamba beaches are very dirty. According to some people the paper spoke to, the sea was depositing garbage people had dumped in it, which was accounting for the filth.

Tawala Beach was dirty

While we wait for the beaches to reopen, the government is collaborating with Zoomlion Ghana Limited to clean beaches in some four assemblies: Ledzokuku-Krowor Municipal Assembly, La Dade-Kotopon Municipal Assembly, Korle-Klottey Municipal Assembly and the Accra Metropolitan Assembly (AMA).

The Public Jobs Manager at Zoomlion, Mr Raphael Lokko, told Graphic Showbiz that the clean up was a major step in ensuring a pristine coastline which has long been absent at the beaches.

“So far, we have cleaned the La Pleasure Beach, Independence Beach, popularly known as the ‘Borla’ Beach, Coco Beach Resort at Nungua, Teshie Salem Beach, among others.

“This is a six-month project which began in April and we intend to continue so that in the event the resorts and beaches are finally opened, they will be clean,” he stated.

The Head of Security at the La Pleasure Beach, Mr Eric Yemo Tetteh, confirmed that there was an ongoing exercise.

The Head of Security at the La Pleasure Beach, Mr Eric Yemo Tetteh

“As you can see, La Pleasure Beach is still clean thanks to Zoomlion and the government. Two months ago, we got a call from La Dade-Kotopon Municipal Assembly (LaDMA) that they were embarking on a project and our beach was one of the places earmarked for that.

“The beaches were closed but surprisingly we continued to get heaps of refuse on the shores so the exercise has been a relief logistically and financially.

“In these difficult times when hotels are not operating and there are no customers to pay for services, you can imagine how much of a burden it would have been to be paying for the clean up.

“Thanks to this project, we have people coming to clean the beach almost every day and this is definitely a laudable idea. La Pleasure Beach is grateful to the government and Zoomlion and we pray this exercise will go on for a long time,” he stated.

The LA Pleasure Beach has a clean shore

Officials at the Tawala and Kumasamba La Bamba beaches declined to speak with Graphic Showbiz but the Managing Director at the La Boma Beach Resort, Dr Albert Tetteh Botchway, disclosed that they had been cleaning the beach themselves.

“If this is a new project, we are yet to experience it. What you see is our achievement since we have always been committed to having the cleanest beach in Ghana, which has won us many awards. Times are hard but that has not discouraged us from doing this even though it is having a great toll on our already bad financial condition.

State of the LA Boma Beach Resort cleaned by their In-house authorities

“I can tell you on authority that we haven’t received any help from the government of any kind ever to clean the La Boma Beach. Meanwhile, the government takes its share of the profit we make from the sale of the tickets. Is this fair?” he quizzed.

Responding to the criticisms, the Corporate Relations Officer for the La Dade-Kotopon Municipal Assembly, Mr E. H. Maale-Adsei, said some beaches were excluded from the exercise after recommendations from a committee.

He added: “As a municipality, our role in this exercise is to monitor and supervise the work that has been assigned to the stakeholders, especially Zoomlion, so we don’t select the places.

“A committee went round and they recommended the places to be cleaned so the assembly didn’t do the selection and we can’t be blamed. I’m sure the places that needed attention were endorsed and that is why the clean-up exercise is being done at such places.

“It is not just the beaches that are being cleaned; some principal streets are benefitting from the exercise. We hope to renew the project when the six months elapse and this time other beaches will be added to the list,” he stated.

Mr Maale used the occasion to warn people to refrain from depositing waste into water bodies since “they do not only destroy their natural beauty but pose many health problems.”

A story written for Graphic Showbiz

By Richmond Nyarko

Date of Publication: Thursday, August 6 - 12, 2020