Monday, September 20, 2010

GHANA BAUXITE CLEANS ITS MESS (PAGE 23, SEPT 20, 2010)

Months after the Daily Graphic exposed the hazards the shipping process of the Ghana Bauxite Company was causing to its neighbours, the company has taken steps to rectify the problem.
The operations of the company at the Takoradi Port had become a serious environmental and health threat to thousands of fishermen and hawkers operating in the area.
The droppings from the conveyer belt of the bauxite company had actually created a blockade at the entrance of the storeroom of the Fisheries Commission office at the port and another office operating in the area.
When the Daily Graphic initially contacted the company, it declined to take action claiming that the Fisheries Commission and those concerned should find a way of clearing the mess.
But after the Daily Graphic’s publication in July 2010, the Ghana Bauxite Company has taken necessary steps to clear the mess.
At the moment, the conveyer belt has been properly aligned and the protective cover of the belt designed to prevent the bauxite droppings during shipment has been replaced.
The company has also removed the heap of bauxite which had blocked the entrance to the Fisheries Commission storeroom.
The main building and another building under the belt, which had been washed in droppings from the belt have also been repainted. And the heap on top of the building had also been removed.
The fisher folks expressed their gratitude to the Daily Graphic and the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) for intervening to ensure that the Ghana Bauxite Company lived up to its responsibilities.

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