Western Regional Minister Joseph Nelson has berated the Sekondi-Takoradi Metropolitan Assembly (STMA) over what he describes as the Assembly’s inability to properly manage waste in the metropolis.
He has warned that poor sanitation and choked drains are worsening flooding and exposing residents to disease outbreaks.
Speaking after Eid prayers in Takoradi on Wednesday, May 27, 2026, the visibly displeased Minister openly criticised the city’s waste management situation, insisting that conditions in the metropolis were unacceptable.
“I do not like the way the city looks now in terms of waste management. Privately, I’ve spoken to them severally, but today I’m putting it out that as Regional Minister, I’m not happy with the way the STMA itself manages waste in the city.”
The Minister linked the worsening sanitation situation directly to recurring flooding in parts of Sekondi-Takoradi, explaining that drains and waterways have increasingly become clogged with indiscriminately dumped refuse.
According to him, stormwater runoff is unable to flow through designated channels because drains are choked with waste, leading to flooding anytime heavy rains occur. “They run off water cannot go to some safe places. Because of this, we are having flooding all over.”
His comments come at a time when several communities within the Sekondi-Takoradi metropolis continue to experience flooding following heavy rains recorded in recent months.
Parts of the metropolis, including low-lying communities and areas with poor drainage systems, have repeatedly been affected by floods during the peak rainy periods, with residents often blaming choked gutters and poor waste disposal practices for the situation.
Mr Nelson said the responsibility for addressing the sanitation problem should not be left to the Assembly alone, stressing that residents must also stop indiscriminate dumping and speak against improper waste disposal practices within their communities.
“And so, when we are walking about and see somebody dumping waste in the drains, we don’t care. We don’t even speak because it doesn’t concern us. But whatever that person is doing that you didn’t speak about… is that same thing that is going to cause the flooding that you all do not want.”
The Minister further warned that poor waste management continues to pose serious public health risks, referencing the cholera outbreak recorded in 2024. “The other problem that emerges from our inability to manage waste well is disease. Not too long ago we had an outbreak of cholera, 2024 to be specific, and I have said that during my time we should not have such an experience again.”
Mr Nelson acknowledged that the STMA has a role to play in improving sanitation conditions but maintained that the Assembly must intensify its efforts to deal with the growing waste management challenges confronting the metropolis. “But the STMA itself must also do more than it’s doing now,” he stressed.
By Eric Yaw Adjei
