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Encroachment on GlefeLagoon: Over 100 illegal structures go down! …As Ablekuma West Assembly takes steps to protect Lagoon

Hundreds of illegal structures along the Glefe Lagoon near Dansoman in Accra were yesterday demolished by the Ablekuma West Municipal Assembly.

The exercise, which sought to protect the lagoon, affected structures like wooden kiosks, mental and containers.

When the Ghanaian Times got to the scene at 7am excavators were on the ground demolishing the illegal structures.

Affected residents were seen removing their items to safety with others weeping over their demolished structures.

It was a field day for scrap dealers who were scavenging for metals.

At the scene a huge crowd gathered in groups discussing the issue. Others were seen taking videos and photograph of the exercise.

Personnel from the Accra Regional Police Command were present in their numbers to ensure law and order.

Some of the affected people the Ghanaian Times spoke to said they had been living at the area between 15 and 20 years.

According to them the demolishing exercise had rendered them homeless.

Mr Kwesi Amoako,a taxi driver and a resident near the Lagoon, said he had been living at the vicinity with his family for the past 16 years.

He alleged that he purchased the land from the chiefs without documentation

Mr Amoako said they were not given enough time to vacate the vicinity.

“Where do they expect us to go after demolishing our place of abode,” he asked.

The Ablekuma West Municipal Chief Executive(MCE), Mr George Cyril Bray, in an interview with the Ghanaian Times said people were building near the lagoon which needs to be protected.

He said the structures built in the lagoon caused flooding anytime it rained and the citizenry have to be protected.

Mr Bray said because of the human activities the place have also been turned into a dumping site.

The MCE stated that the Assembly informed the residents near the lagoon of the demolishing exercise before they embarked on it.

“We have engaged the community members verbally since last year to inform them of the exercise,”he added.

He said to prevent the residents from further encroaching on the area, debris from the exercise would be used as boundary around the lagoon till permanent solution was found.

Mr Bray said several leaders have tried to ensure that the residents did not encroach on the lagoon, but the recalcitrant one kept encroaching the place.

The MCE cautioned residents to desist from encroaching on the lagoon, adding that the Assembly would not hesitate to demolish structures any day.

“We need to protect the citizenry from continuous floods in the area,” he added.

ANITA NYARKO-YIRENKYI

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