VICTIMS OF LOCATION: HEALTH IMPLICATIONS ON HOUSEHOLD LIVING PROXIMAL TO THE OWHIM SOLID WASTE DUMP IN THE KUMASI METROPOLITAN AREA (KMA) OF GHANA

Abstract

The challenge of acquiring land for the final disposal of solid waste in urban areas of Ghana has become a critical issue in the urban planning process because of its enormous impact on the economy, ecology and environmental health. Waste dumps have been blamed for the upsurge in disease such as malaria, diarrhea, dermal infection, respiratory tract infection and typhoid among others in the communities they are located. This has therefore resulted in conflicts and demonstrations between city authorities and communities where waste dumps are located.The Owhim disposal site in the KMA which is generally sited based on access to tipping vehicles rather than hydrological or public health considerations does not conform to international environmental standards. Using both qualitative and quantitative approaches, the research reveals that residents of Owhim are continousely exposed to environmental health hazards from the waste dump and this has brought an upsurge of diseases such as malaria,diarrhea, respiratory tract infection and skin diseases since the inception of the solid waste dump.The paper concludes that the residents have just become victims of poor location dicision which also reflects the much bigger policy context of spatial planning, in which land use, and development policies are shaped.