Weija-Gbawe Assembly Officials And Developer Accused Over Unauthorized Mallam-Lafa Dumpsite, Sparking Health And Safety Crisis

Residents have accused top officers of the Weija-Gbawe Municipal Assembly and a private developer, Nii Atta Amu Dodoo, of operating an unauthorized refuse landfill site on the Mallam land, a suburb of Mendkrom Mallam area near Akawie Hospital.

They believe this dumpsite poses severe public health risks, including disease outbreaks and annual localized flooding.

The residents reported that the unauthorized landfill contains an uncontrolled mix of municipal, industrial, and e-waste—including heavy metals like lead, cadmium, mercury, arsenic, and chromium—which has washed into the Weija Lake.

They raised an alarm that the dumpsite now poses a grave danger to the approximately 80% of Accra residents who rely on the water produced by the Ghana Water Company Limited.

A large volume of plastic waste, including used sanitary pads, plastic water bottles, and baby diapers, has floated onto residents’ compounds. The offensive smell has also attracted swarms of flies and mosquitoes.

Consequently, the Weija Lake, which serves as a primary source of drinking water for residents of Accra West, is raising serious environmental and health concerns.

According to residents, they woke up one morning to find tricycle waste collectors disposing of refuse in their environment. Initially, they thought it was a temporary activity, but it later attracted tricycle operators from Accra and other places to continually dump their refuse at the site.

Accusations against the Assembly

Residents claim the Weija-Gbawe Municipal Assembly and a private land developer, Nii Atta Amu Dodoo, permitted indiscriminate dumping in the Densu Delta and unapproved areas of the illegal refuse dumpsite on the Mallam-Lafa land.

They complain that this illegal waste disposal is polluting the environment and causing residents in the catchment areas to contract communicable diseases.

Furthermore, residents maintain that the overflowing dumpsite creates a severe public health crisis by attracting disease-carrying vectors—such as rodents, flies, and mosquitoes—and contaminating groundwater.

In suburbs like Weija-Gbawe, Dansoman, and Oblogo, people frequently report outbreaks of cholera, dysentery, and malaria due to these hazardous conditions.

They noted that the unmanaged waste piles and stagnant water serve as breeding grounds for mosquitoes, which spikes malaria rates.

Locals also experience leachate and runoff from rotting garbage seeping into water sources and drains, causing surges in cholera, typhoid, and dysentery. Additionally, they complain of respiratory infections, explaining that the open burning of waste emits toxic fumes that exacerbate asthma and chronic lung conditions.

Tricycle Dumping Fees

Tricycle (Aboboyaa) operators revealed they were charged to dump refuse at the authorized refuse landfill operated by Nii Atta Amu Dodoo.

The Assembly’s workers allegedly collected GH¢5 per truck, while the private owner of the site charged between GH¢20 and GH¢30 per truck, depending on the volume of waste.

"Every single day, we have been paying these charges to Nii Atta Amu Dodoo and the workers of the Weija-Gbawe Municipal Assembly stationed at the site," the Aboboyaa drivers told the journalists during the site visit on Thursday, June 18, 2026.

Site Closure and Traffic Congestion

On Thursday, June 18, 2026, the national security officials temporarily shut down the Lafa unauthorized dumping site to curb the environmental and public health hazards.

This abrupt closure left thousands of Aboboyaa operators stranded, creating a massive traffic jam that stretched from the Ga Municipal Assembly Hospital to the Mallam Junction main bus stop.

Driver Frustrations

The President of Aboboyaa Drivers Association in Accra Mr Abibulai Abdulai expressed frustration over the sudden closure, noting that many operators had traveled from distant areas like Madina, Adenta, Kasoa, Osu, and Dansoman, only to find the site shut down without prior notice.

The drivers warned that if authorities do not provide an alternative dumping location, they might take matters into their own hands.

Call to Action

Traditional authorities and affected residents are urging President John Dramani Mahama and the Greater Accra Regional Minister, Hon. Linda Obenewaa Akweley Ocloo, to permanently halt indiscriminate dumping in the Densu Delta belt and other unapproved areas at Mallam-Lafa in the Weija Gbawe Municipality.

They also called on President John Dramani Mahama to direct the Ministry of Local Government and Chieftaincy and Religious Affairs

to commission a full-scale investigation into the creation of the unauthorized refuse dumpsite in the Mallam-Lafa area.