Assessing the Operational Efficiency of the Tamale Landfill Site and Its Health Implications

Isaac Bador Kamal Lettor^1,

¹Bawku Technical Institute, Bawku, Ghana

Cite this paper:
Isaac Bador Kamal Lettor. Assessing the Operational Efficiency of the Tamale Landfill Site and Its Health Implications. Journal of Environment Pollution and Human Health. 2018; 6(4):148-156. doi: 10.12691/jephh-6-4-4

Abstract

The increase in urban growth in Ghana has in tandem seen an increase in waste generation which has a telling effect on the quantum of solid waste generated and disposed off. This study investigates the operational efficiency of the Tamale Landfill site. The descriptive cross-sectional study design was employed for this survey. Two areas were delineated for the study: residential houses within a 500-metre radius of the landfill site and areas more than 500 metres away. The purposive and simple random sampling techniques were used to select 384 households, 16 scavengers and some key respondents for the study. The results of the study reveal that a majority (98.4%) of respondents and scavengers (100%) from the nearby community complain about the proximity of the facility to their residences which generates odour, breeds predators and insects, dust, litter and smoke. Some of the problems which also impede the smooth operation of the facility are inadequate funding, lack of key personnel, and a non-functional weighbridge. These problems lead to infrequent covering of waste which in effect creates litter, dust, odour and generates leachate as well as disease carrying vectors. Hospital waste is also not well managed on site. The study concludes that solid waste at the Tamale Landfill site is not well managed thereby creating poor conditions which generate a lot of nuisances ranging from choking smoke, putrefying odour, dust, leachate, litter, easy access, poor management of hospital waste and breeding places for insects and other pests. The repercussions are the high incidence of malaria, diarrhoea, respiratory diseases, skin diseases, still births and animal bites. Hence, considering that the Wuvugumani and Gbalahi communities are found within 500 metres of the landfill, the Tamale Landfill Site should be relocated because of its negative environmental and health effects on the lives of people in the nearby communities.

Keywords:
landfill tamale metropolis environmental health waste management operational efficiency

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