The Greater Accra Regional Minister, Linda Ohenewaa Akweley Ocloo, has attributed recent flooding in parts of Tse Addo to years of encroachment, reclamation and illegal development around the Kpeshie Lagoon.
Speaking during Sunday’s enforcement exercise at Laboma Beach, the Regional Minister said the area had historically been a mangrove wetland but had been transformed through the clearing of vegetation, sand filling and the sale of reclaimed portions for private development.
“Everybody knows Laboma. All this place used to be Mangrove, it’s a wetland and that’s the sea. They cut the trees, filled this place and sold the land to developers including businesses to build hotels and other things,” she told the media.
She said a risk assessment conducted by the authorities linked the loss of the lagoon’s natural capacity to retain water to flooding recorded in Tse Addo.
“We did a risk assessment and we realised that for the first time there was flooding at Tse Addo, it was because of these illegal structures. We engaged them, issued a 21-day ultimatum and we have to secure this basin and so far there has not been any resistance,” she said.
The Post Flood Mitigation Task Force, together with REGSEC, subsequently moved to remove structures that had been marked for demolition within the affected water retention basin.
The Deputy Chief of Staff, Operations and a member of the Task Force explained that the exercise was not aimed at demolishing all businesses and structures in Laboma.
He said the targeted structures were those obstructing the basin and preventing authorities from undertaking planned dredging works to restore the flow of water from upstream towards the sea.
According to him, illegal reclamation had involved the destruction of vegetation and the use of boulders and other solid materials to fill sections of the basin and create land for construction.
The exercise is part of a wider government programme to restore waterways and wetlands across Greater Accra following the devastating effects of flooding and to prevent future disasters.
Authorities have warned that structures found within critical waterways, drainage channels and protected buffer zones could face enforcement action as government intensifies efforts to reclaim natural watercourses.
Story by: Emmanuel Romeo Tetteh(#RomeoWrites✍️)/ Presidential Affairs Correspondent | Ghana 🇬🇭
