REGSEC pulls down illegal structures at Weija-Dansoman Ramsar site

 Some illegal structures erect­ed at the Weija-Dansoman Ramsar sites have yesterday been pulled down by the Greater Accra Regional Minister and a del­egation of the Regional Security Council (REGSEC).

This followed a directive from the President, John Dramani Ma­hama, to immediately implement measures to restore the ramsar sites and a water retention basin at Mallam Junction in Accra when he embarked on a working tour of some flood-prone areas in the capital.

The Ghanaian Times observed that, the site which lies beneath the Mallam Junction Interchange has virtually been filled with grav­el and turned into a plane field in readiness for habitation by the private firm, Caitec Motors, while a lot of permanent buildings were erected at Dansoman Ramsar site.

While some in the flood prone areas were completely pulled down, others buildings had their walls demolished to serve as a warning to the property owners before they could be served offi­cial notice to evacuate and pull the building to the ground.

The Regional Minister, Ms Linda Obenewaa Akweley Ocloo, in an interview with journalists after the exercise, expressed her disappointment at the Weija Gbawe Municipal Assembly and the Ablekuma West Municipal Assembly for allowing such illegal activities to continue at the sites, after several warnings and previ­ous demolitions.

Additionally, she said the extent of the encroachment and filling of the Ramsar sites was alarm­ing, and the assemblies’ inability to brief her on the necessary measures taken to put a stop to it indicated they were not working hard enough to supervise the site.

Though the President indicated that those who caused the menace would bear the cost, upon reach­ing the site Caitec Motors failed to provide machines to demolish the walls raised and the removal of the gravels and sand used to fill the sites.

This, the Regional Minister stressed that Caitec Motors had failed to obey the President’s orders.

However, she promised to come back soon with all the necessary machinery to aid in the exercise and Caitec Motors would still bear the cost, adding “ this time round we will not ask them to provide us with the machinery but we will bring our equipment along and they will pay for every­thing.”

“We will go and strategise and come back and then demolish the rest of the buildings which are in waterways here, this initiative aims to restore natural watercourses, and reduce the risk of flooding during the rainy season,” she said.

Ms Ocloo also tasked the as­semblies to close down the illegal damming site on the Ramsar site, stating that, it was close to the main drain which would cause a lot of damages if the drain got choked in the advent of rains.

To help prevent these illegal structures from being erected again, she tasked the security ser­vices to provide 24-hour security surveillance at the sites.

 BY CECILIA YADA LAGBA

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