Cape Coast residents worried about poor management of Asokyeano Cemetery
Traditional authorities and residents of Mempeasem, Tayido and Asenadzi in the Cape Coast Metropolis have appealed to the government and the Cape Coast Metropolitan Assembly to intervene in challenges confronting the Asokyeano Cemetery, saying the facility has run out of space for burials.
The concerns were raised at a press conference organised by the Brimsu Development Committee at Mempeasem in Cape Coast.
According to the residents, the cemetery, which serves as the main public burial ground in the Central Region, had become overcrowded, forcing graveyard workers to dig graves on adjoining community lands.
Health concerns
Addressing the press conference, the leader of the committee, J.M. Eduaful, said the cemetery had exceeded its capacity after operating for more than five decades since its establishment in 1972.
He explained that the situation had created serious environmental and health concerns for communities surrounding the cemetery.
Mr Eduaful accused authorities of neglecting the maintenance of the facility, stating that the cemetery had not been fumigated since it was established.
He further alleged that due to the lack of fencing, cemetery workers had encroached on lands belonging to nearby communities to create space for new graves.
The residents also expressed concern about the handling of skeletal remains exhumed from old graves sometimes to make way for new burials, saying residents and traditional leaders did not know where the remains were disposed of.
According to them, the situation posed possible health risks to people living around the cemetery.
Some residents of Tayido and nearby communities also complained about unpleasant odours from the cemetery, especially during rainfall.
They further claimed that the overcrowded condition of the cemetery had affected activities in the area, adding that a sachet water factory was shut down by the Environmental
Protection Agency over environmental concerns.
The residents further criticised the Cape Coast Metropolitan Assembly for removing refuse containers from the area while leaving waste uncollected.
They warned that residents would block access to the cemetery and prevent further burials if authorities failed to address their concerns by the end of June.
Some residents living around the cemetery said mourners obtained burial permits from the CCMA before interring their deceased relatives, but the community had not received any form of support or compensation since the cemetery was handed over to the Assembly in the 1970s.
The residents, therefore, appealed to the Assembly to address their concerns by the end of June or risk calls for people to seek alternative burial grounds.
They also accused the Assembly of neglecting the community’s sanitation needs following the removal of a refuse container, which they described as a major challenge, particularly during the rainy season and called on the CCMA to return the refuse container to help improve sanitation in the area.
