BY BERNICE BESSEY…The over century old Lavender Hills has finally been shut down and replaced with an ultramodern feacal treatment plant that has a capacity to digest 2,000 cubic meters of human excretion daily and safely discharge water into the sea.
Unlike the old Lavender Hill that posted many discomforts and health dangers to residents, the beach road users and the environment, the new ‘Lavender Hill’ is more environmental friendly as the feacal matter would be processed into energy and fertilizer for agriculture purposes.
On Friday, November 25, 2016, the President John Dramani Mahama announced the complete close down of the over 100 years Lavender Hills and opened a new chapter for Lavender Hill Faecal Treatment Plant situated on the banks of Korle Lagoon.
The project, which would be owned and operated by Sewage Systems Ghana limited, a subsidiary of Zoomlion Ghana Limited, commenced in 2012 has a lifespan of twenty (20) years and valued at over US$25 million.
The new lavender hill under Septage Treatment Plant is geared towards serving population of 2.4 million daily, with a maximum treatment capacity of 2,400 cubic meters.
Mudor reopens
The inauguration of the new Lavender Hill Faecal Treatment Plan also witnessed the reoperation of Mudor treatment plant that will serve areas like high street, Osu/Labone, Ministries, State House and Korle Bu/Dansoman.
The Mudor treatment plant occupies a land area of 7-5 acres which houses a well-equipped laboratory, Grid screening machines, a 5,500 cubic meter storage tank, a machine for odor control, and an upflow Anaerobic Sludge Blanket (UASB) comprising four tanks with capacities of 1,700 cubic meters where biological treatment will take place.
Mudor treatment plant is expected to use the biogas, which comprises of methane, carbon dioxide and hydrogen sulphide that would be extracted from the UASB to generate electricity of between 400kw to 500kw to boost the nation’s power supply.
Since the Mudor is fed through the Accra CBD Sewer network of 95km, the effluent from the treatment process would be treated before released into the sea or lagoon after it has been certified by Environmental protection Agency (EPA). The Mudor will, however, sever a population of 105,000 a day with a maximum capacity of 2,400 cubic meters of feacal matter.
Commissioning by the President
The president while commissioning the plant expressed his profound joy for ending the century practices that has affected marine life quality, environmental sanitation, healthcare and hygiene, and also gives the country bad image internationally.
“Today we are ending an ambling spectacle. Today is a happy day for me because lavender hill, as it was called, is very ironic and paradoxical name is going to close today,” he said.
He added that project is the first of its kind in the sub region, and it is in the pipeline to replicate same in all regional capitals and some populated municipal and districts.
To enhance sewage treatment system in the country, especially in Accra, he added that the plant at Ajin Kotoku, which will receive 60-100 trucks a day, is also ready for use.
He stated that the treatment plants have the capacity to serve the entire Accra metropolis, stating “so the capacity of these plants and the rehabilitation of the Mudor we have enough capacity to treat all feacal waste produce in Accra and make it safe for the environment.
To end open defecation, he added that households without toilets facilities are being offered subsidized to toilets to install in their houses. The president urged Ghanaians to change their attitude towards waste management and thanked the media for their constant reports about the poor condition of the old lavender hill.
Other information
The Ajin Kotoku Treatment Plant commenced in 2012 and had investment cost of over US$10 million to receive feacal material from a population of 935,000 in a day.
The sewage treatment project is a Public Private Partnership, between Zoomlion Waste Management, Accra Metropolitan Assembly and the Government of Ghana.
The old lavender hill
The lavender hill was a place nuisance place where cesspit track discharge untreated feacal waste in into the sea at Korlegonno for many decades. Due to the unbearable activities by these tracks, road users, residents as well as fishers folks complained bitterly about the unpleasant smell it produces into the environment.
As a result of the lavender hill, Korlegonno and its environs are devastated with epidemics like cholera when the rains set in, because of the polluted environment.
The overseeing authority, AMA, had also received a court suite from the EPA to close down the century old environmental danger. Also, lavender hill earned the country a global shame as unsafe environment.
