Graves older than 20 years to be recycled in Accra, Ghana

In the wake of overcrowding in our public cemeteries and the scarcity of land in Accra for the creation of new ones, the Metro Public Health Department (MPHD) of the Accra Metropolitan Assembly (AMA) has evolved a plan to recycle graves older than 20 years, to make room for new burials. This comes after several Ghanaians have been burying their dead ones at their homes and Churches due to lack of space at public cemeteries. According to the Director of MPHD, Mr Vctor Acquaye, who feels people who died of contagious diseases could pose health risks to those living close to burial sites.
He also told the Mirror in an interview that his team are planning to open up the western section of the Awudome cemetery for development into a modern well-spaced and landscaped cemetery. He also said that after the modern development into a well- spaced and landscaped cemetery, inquiries will be made to know the causes of a dead person to ensure that any corpse doesn't pose public health threat to people living around the burial site. 'Even after the land factor is satisfied, we have to know the cause of death to ensure the burial does not pose any public health threat to people and the environment.'