Gutters are choked by rubbish
The walkways covering the sewers are uneven or broken in many places and have not been replaced.
Where there is no covering, the open sewers on the sides of roads in Accra force pedestrians to walk in the road, sometimes in the path of traffic.
Lack of sanitary public facilities is also a problem. �No Urinating Here� notices in Circle have been regularly ignored in broad daylight and at the busiest times of day yet with no signs of repercussions.
This is despite the warning of some notices of a GH20 fine.
The lack of definite edge to the surfaced roads, which means there is uneven footing close to steep sewer ditches, is a further problem.
Lack of barriers between footpaths and sewers allows children to play in and around the unsanitary area.
Children have been seen using spades to dredge stagnant open sewers, which raises the possibility of the spread of disease.
In the south of Accra there are dredged drains. However, the contents of the drains are often left at the edges of footpaths and burnt.
The result is that remnants and partially burnt rubbish is left in the way of pedestrians.
In this area, shops and houses are forced to lay down planks of wood and concrete slabs to create a path to their business or home over the open drains.
In the Cantonments area of Accra, which is less busy than the Kwame Nkrumah Circle, the situation is better. Sewers are largely covered and there is minimal rubbish on the ground.
However, exposed drainpipes are still hazardous to the pedestrian here.
Lack of bins in public places is also compounding the level of sanitation in Accra.
One member of the public who spoke to the Times in the Kwame Nkrumah Circle noted that after buying a sachet of water there was no-where to sanitarily dispose of it after use.
Cardboard packaging and water sachets make up the majority of the rubbish piled on the river bank at Kwame Nkrumah Circle.
This is particularly evident at times when the river has partially dried up, exposing the rubbish that has been deposited.
Most rubbish found in the open sewers is empty water sachets and food packaging, which demonstrates the need for waste-disposal facilities.
