Liberian Refugees in Ghana:Environment Security Implications of the Indiscriminate Disposal

of Municipal Solid Waste (MSW)

A

Master’s Thesis Successfully

Defended By

Jenkins Macedo

Presented at

2nd National Catholic Conference

on Resettlement

In

Toronto, Canada

5th December, 2012

Research Question

What environmental threats are associated with the indiscriminate disposal of

municipal solid waste (MSW) in the local environment at the Buduburam

Refugee Settlement (BRS)?

Problem Statement

Municipal solid waste continues to be an environmental threat at the BRS

in the midst of the UNHCR/NCS’s solid waste collection and disposal

system.

Background of the Buduburam Refugee Settlement

Gomoa-East District, Central

Region, Ghana

The settlement was established in

1990.

Currently hosts about 11,000

Liberian and other refugees.

In 2000 UNHCR/NCS established

the MSW system at the camp

UNHCR terminated all

humanitarian services in 2003 and

this impacted the MSW program.

Methodology

Data CollectionMixed Methods Research

Quantitativeo Surveys

o Free-list

o Pile Sorts

Qualitative o Semi-Structured Interviews

o Focus Groups

Municipal Solid Wasteo Total waste amount (TWA)

o Recorded 132 waypoints of solid waste dumpsites

Digital Photographs

MIXED METHODS

THE CONVERGENT STUDY DESIGN

Modified from Creswell and Clark, 2011

Ethical Consideration

IRB

GRB Approval

Limitations

Time

Tensions among refugees, the host country and UNHCR

Ethical Consideration and Limitation

Data Analysis

Unit of Analysis Municipal solid waste (MSW)

Quantitative Data SPSS Version 18

Anthropac version 1.0

Qualitative Data Atlas.ti version 16.0

Geospatial Data ArcGIS version 10.0

Municipal Solid Waste IFEU GHG Emissions MS Excel Database System

Results & Discussion

N = 112 The graph indicates respondents’

years of arrival in Ghana as a

refugee and is consistent with

reports released by UNHCR and

other aid agencies of 1990, 1996

2001 and 2003 as the years when

Liberian refugees intake in Ghana

peak, which is consistent with major

battles fought between rebels,

government forces and other

factions during the 14 years civil

war. From the graph it can be

deduced that since Charles Taylor

was forced from power as president

of Liberia in 2003 and the

establishment of a democratically

elected government in 2005,

Liberians continue to seek refuge in

Ghana. This also indicates that

Liberian refugees at the Buduburam

Refugee Settlement claim that

returning to home would

compromise their security and

safety because the current

government of Liberia is been

assisted by UN peacekeepers, which

reinforce their stands of insecurity

upon return.

1992 Octopus

1994 Renewed

Hostilities

April 1996

Battle for Monrovia

1997 Taylor

Elected

1999 2nd Civil War

Started

Monrovia sieged by rebels, UN

& US intervened caused

Taylor exile to Nigeria

2006 Taylor arrested

in Nigeria

2000 LURB Rebels

attacked government

forces

2003 A ceasefire was

signed by all warring

factions, Taylor indicted

for war crimes in Sierra

Leone

Results & Discussion, Continued…

1. Land Pollution

Land pollution was identified as one of the

salient themes from interviews and focus

groups discussions. Land pollution was

obvious from personal observations.

“The Central Region District Assembly cannot

help because the amount of solid waste that is

produced from the camp on a daily basis surpass

those that are produced in other towns and as

such DA does not have the capacity to assist”

(District Chief of Gomoa-East, Environment and

Health Unit, Ministry of Environment, Ghana).

“Solid waste can be found in all communities on

this camp. Some refugees just don’t care where

waste is disposed. This is a sign of lack of

responsibility of Liberian refugees” (Refugee in

Focus Group).

Average-Link Cluster Analysis of Environmental Security

Refugees’ Perception of Environmental Security

HighMediumLow

Low

Medium

High

Landfill at the Buduburam Refugee Settlement

Opened disposal of human

feces in community

A closer look shows

inorganic and organic

materials disposed in front

of a public toilet facility at

the camp by refugees.

These untreated waste

caused the sanitation and

the waste management team

to dig out feces from the

toilet, disposed it openly for

days before having it buried

within the community. All

this take place in the middle

of various communities at

the camp with refugees’

homes within 5-10 meters

radius, which is a

significant risk factor to the

exposure of contaminated

air, biohazards and other

disease causing pathogens.

Public Bathroom as Waste Disposal Site

One of several water

stations provided by Point

Hope-an organization that

has established its

legitimacy in actively

addressing issues at the

refugee camp!

Components Default LIE Default

MIE

in % wet waste

Food waste 55.4% 41.9% 55.4%

Garden and park waste 9.2% 14.0% 9.0%

Paper, cardboard 3.7% 9.3% 3.7%

Plastics 2.8% 6.5% 2.8%

Glass 1.2% 1.9% 1.2%

Ferrous Metals 1.4% 1.9% 1.4%

Aluminum 0.2% 0.5% 0.2%

Textiles 1.4% 3.3% 1.4%

Rubber, leather 1.4% 1.9% 1.4%

Nappies (disposable diapers) 0% 4.0% 1.0%

Wood 3.5% 6.0% 3.5%

Mineral waste 6.0% 3.0% 6.0%

Others 13.8% 5.8% 13.0%

Total 100.0% 100% 100.00%

IFEU’s MSW Composition in Percentages of Wet Weight

Source: IFEU, 2010

GHG Emission recycling in t CO2-eq/yr

GHG Emissions from Disposal of MSW

Results & Discussion, Continued....

2. Greenhouse Gas Emissions

Disposed and

recycled waste emits

219,604 tonne CO2-

eq/yr

Recycled waste saves

-6,028 tonne CO2-

eq/yr last year

213,576 tonne of

CO2-eq/yr from total

MSWRecycled waste Disposed of waste Total MSW

Debits 2,189 217,415 219,604

Credits -6,028 0 -6,028

Net -3,839 217,415 213,576

-50,000

0

50,000

100,000

150,000

200,000

250,000

ton

ne

CO

2-e

q/y

r

GHG emissions

Result & Discussion, Continued...

3. Water-borne DiseaseHealth reports from the Regional Health

Department and the camp suggest that land

pollution leads to the contamination of water

sources, which in turn leads to the outbreak of

water-borne diseases.

“When it rains human fecal contaminants get

into the nearby neighborhoods and water

sources causing the outbreak of cholera,

diarrhea, dysentery and other water-borne

diseases” (Follow-up Interview with the Chief

Administrator, St. Gregory Catholic Clinic).

“The cases of illnesses here at the camp are very

high. So, we do have new incidence everyday of

the week of sickness such as malaria, typhoid

fever, cholera, diarrhea and measles” (Interview

with a Nurse, SGCC, Buduburam Refugee

Settlement).

Research Question Revisited

What environmental threats are associated

with the indiscriminate disposal of

municipal solid waste (MSW) in the local

environment at the Buduburam Refugee

Settlement (BRS)?

Conclusions

Indiscriminate disposal of municipal solid waste

Threatens both refugees and local host communities

Increases vulnerability to water-borne diseases

Increased emissions of GHG and land pollution leads to

environmental and health threats.

Withdrawal and termination of all humanitarian assistance to

the refugee population exacerbates the deteriorating sanitary

conditions at the camp.

Landfill at the Buduburam Refugee Settlement

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MwoHRwISU8c

How does my study relates to IDSC?

Work with refugees and forced migrants

Environmental threats impact refugees and host

relations.

Develop programs to address environmental

threats in refugee settings

Next Steps

Submit to Forced Migration Review and the African Journal

of Environmental Science and Technology for publication

Consider exploring my data further to identify additional

themes and issues

ACKNOWLEDGEMENT

Thesis Committee Members, Clark University-USA

Worcester State University-USA

Compton Foundation, USA-Funding

Ghana Refugee Board-Ghana

The Camp Manager-Ghana

Research Assistants-Buduburam Refugee Camp

Point Hope-Ghana

Refuge Baptist Church-Ghana

Center for Christian Leadership Development and

Counseling (CCLDC)- Ghana