Plastic waste dents the beauty of Nzulezu
The beauty of Nzulezu, one of the cherished tourist sites in the Western Region, is gradually being marred by the daily rise of plastic and other domestic wastes.
This tourists sites in the Region became the toast of both foreign and local tourists due to its uniqueness and the fact that local community members could make their homes sit on a stream using just bamboo and raffia materials.
Nzulezu, in the Nzema Language, means sitting on water, which best describes the ingenuity and wisdom the Creator of the Universe has endowed mankind to indeed have dominion over everything on planet earth.
The Nzulezu Community receives more than 1000 visitors annually and, thereby, contributes immensely to the Gross Domestic Product of the country whilst growing the local economy and opening up the area to some diverse cultures.
These economic benefits, notwithstanding, are being depleted by the activities carried out in that natural and artistic environment preventing the Community from enjoying that enviable position of the most preferred destination for site seers for its attractions, which provide a means of learning, admiration of nature and drawing inspiration.
The physical environment of the Community on water steadily leaves much to be desired and if immediate steps are not taken may lose its “taste in the mouths” of holiday makers.
Issues of sanitation in terms of places of convenience and dumping sites, over the years, have become a crises situation for the Ghana Tourism Authority in the Region.
Mr Michael Kpingi, the Acting Regional Director of the Ghana Tourism Authority, said improving the living standards of the people in the Community was paramount to sustaining the gains and contribution in terms of revenue to the state.
“The spread of plastics, which takes decades, if at all, to decay has in recent times aggravated the already existing environmental issues,” he said.
“The biggest problem now at Nzulezu is the filth and we are now looking for collaborative approaches, especially with the waste management companies, to help devise innovative means of managing the waste in the community.”
Mr Kpingi said attempts at solving the problems had yielded some favorable results with the provision of a Biofill toilet facility.
The Nzulezu Community,, he said, could also boast of a mobile clinic system that helps in providing quality of healthcare for the people and called on other institutions to come in and help.
The City on Water needs help to avoid constant pollution of her beautiful environment that provides fun, relaxation and recreation. The earlier action and proactive steps are taken, the better it would be for people of the Community and the general improvement of the tourism potentials of the country.
By Mildred Siabi-Mensah
Source: GNA