Rapid Urbanization and its Impact on Municipal Solid Waste Management in the Greater Accra Region of Ghana.

Abstract

Most cities in developing countries are currently experiencing a rapid increase in urbanization which has stressed out the ecosystem and environment. Human activities have resulted in a myriad of problems of which management of solid waste is one of the tops on the list, though not always highlighted. However, effective solid waste management strategies are crucial in addressing this issue and promoting sustainable urban development. This study, therefore examined the recent pattern of growth of the Greater Accra region between 1991 and 2021. Therefore, understanding the interaction between the region’s inhabitants and the changes in the region’s land cover over time depended greatly on land use and land cover change analysis. A remote sensing tool was implemented to run an unsupervised classification analysis and to reveal the growth of the region over the years specifically from 2000 to 2021 using unsupervised classification analysis. The results showed that the urban vegetation in the region decreased from 63.4% in 1991 to 12.9% in 2021, while the built-up features increased from 6.4% in 1991 to 52.2% in 2021. Additionally, the study evaluated how this growth has affected the region’s solid waste management. This was crucial for identifying current practices and strategies and enabled the researcher to determine their effectiveness. Recommendations were made on the identifiable areas of solid waste management that needed improvement to ensure a healthy and sustainable environment for future generations.