Accra, Ghana, November 17, 2018//-Residents of Sole Lagoon View estates in Prampram in the Greater Accra Region of Ghana have called on the government as a matter of urgency to stop the operations of Greenwich Industries Limited, a leading oil refinery company in the country.
This follows the discharge of hazardous chemical wastes with pungent smell from the company’s factory located in the area.
The angry residents said the management of the oil refinery company had refused to put in place proper disposal measures for waste diesel produced in the factory.
According to residents, calls and visits to Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to bring the company to order has proved futile as the pungent smell of chemicals fills the air almost every day.
This they said had led to some members of the area complaining of respiratory symptoms, and other respiratory disorders,
The residents who could not take the stench and the inaction of the factory marched to the premises demanding immediate action over the weekend.
They want management of the factory to either halt their operations with immediate effect or find an alternative to disposing off their waste fuel just like the rubbish clearance company in London which has the same alternative for waste disposal.
Secretary of the Sole Lagoon Residents Association, Kofi Afreh in an interview said “the residents are at risk, hence their calls” to relocate the factory somewhere.
“It’s a very pungent smell and we believe it is harmful to us. We have engaged them (management) a couple of times, they keep telling us they are fixing it but we haven’t seen anything yet”.
They keep telling us they are fixing it but we haven’t seen anything yet. This is a smell that comes in the morning, at dawn and evening- not just within the estate but on the main street that we drive as well”, he added.
Mr Afreh stressed that if the company is having a problem, it should be fixed immediately, saying the association would explore every available option to ensure the smell stops completely.
However, when contacted, an official of the Greenwich Industries Limited, David said: “For the past three months, we have produced in only six days”.
“Our company is certified by the EPA to operate. So, we all our production processes and machines are certified by the state institute. So the pungent smell is not coming from the company”, he added.
David also questioned why should people live in area preserved for the setting up of industries, implying that the residents of the area supposed not to be living in the industrial area.
It appears that some people are using the residents to smear falsehood about the company, so that the government would take action against the company, he alleged. The residents have denied the allegation.
Instructively, the company established in 2015 is in the business of importing and exporting petroleum products such as anti-rust lubricants, anti-wear lubricants, extreme Pressure lubricants, lubricating greases, among others.
African Eye Report
