In UCC, one students’ companion we can talk about in terms of transportation is the “school bus road”. This rough untarred road links students from the Old site to Science. It plays an economic role in the lives of students. Students who are unable to pay for fares of taxis and shuttle use this road as a link from Science to Old site and back.
Aside the importance of this road, there are some issues that must be looked at. Whoever takes this road from Science realises one major problem aside the dusty nature of the road. One can count up to three major heaps of refuse and some other smaller heaps along the road.
Right after the junction that leads Baduwa Hostel, is one particular place where people from the neighbouring communities and people who work for the hostels around that area dispose their refuse. The next site is found right opposite Maplins Hostel. This site attracts people from the neighbouring communities and even students who live around that area.
Recently, Zoomlion has been there to clear the refuse by burning and also to supply a bin for refuse disposal but some people still prefer dumping the refuse on the ground close to the bin. Some kids in and around Apewosika, Amamoma and Kwasi Pra also find these sites as places of convenience. They go to ease themselves there whilst other kids use these sites as playing grounds. The children go around scavenging on the heaps of refuse and playing with whatever they get attracted. Even when these kids are cautioned, they grin and go back to what they were doing.
After the bridge, som few metres to CCCC ICT Training centre is the third. This site has a bin which is being monitored by a man who works with Zoomlion and yet, one can still find a heap right behind the container. This has been going on for some time now and it seems nothing is being done about it. Some people even by pass the container to dump the refuse on the heap on the ground. Could it be that these people do not know the purpose of the containers?
The government and the university administration must come together to help check this problem since it has the potential to cause a health disaster.
Written by: Winifred Agbenya
