Vultures Dine with Humans

…At filth-infested Agbogbloshie market

STORY: ACHINAKE FATAW

A recent visit by Today Newspaper to the Agbogbloshie Market in Accra revealed a very disturbing situation, which if not checked, could pose serious health problems to consumers who patronise the market.

The surroundings of the market, particularly where tomatoes and other vegetables are sold were so dirty, and emit very bad odour the extent that vultures compete with humans for space and foodstuffs.

With the grounds fertile for the scavenging birds, traders and patrons of the market find it extremely difficult shrugging of the marauding vultures.

The development, Today gathered, has become an eye-sore and does not befit the status of a market located in the heart of the capital city.

Consumers and residents in the area who patronise foodstuff such as tomatoes, onions, and cassava dough also risk contracting diseases such as malaria and cholera in the wake of the heaps of garbage surrounding these items.

The stench emitting from the gutters of the market is also unbearable whilst almost all the drains in the area have been turned into refuse dumps thus becoming breeding grounds for mosquitoes and house flies.

In an interview with Ali Abubakari, a scrap dealer, who is a resident of the area, he decried the situation and attributed the problem to poor sanitation practices adopted by the market women.

“These women are selling nothing but diseases like cholera, diarrhea, flu and other airborne diseases. They do not keep the market clean. They throw rubbish and debris from their items into the gutters. And the most irritating aspect of it all is that these market women would rain insults on you when you try telling them to do the right thing,” he told Today.

He added “Living here is hell! And our situation is further compounded by the stench that emanates from the market. In fact, it is unbearable, and I hope you (referring to our reporter) can feel it yourself.”

Abubakar deployed the haphazard manner in which the sellers have conveniently created their own stalls and sheds in the market.

This situation, according to Abubakar, is what has encouraged many of the market women to sell on road pavements in the area.

“These traders and market women abandon the market provided them and rather prefer to sell on the pavements and in the gutters. They argue that consumers prefer buying from the road side therefore it makes no sense should they do business in the market,” Abubakar stressed.

Against this backdrop, residents in the area have appealed to the city authorities to call the market women to order.