Korle Dudor Assembly aspirant pledges to protect lagoon

Accra, Dec. 21, GNA - An aspiring Assembly Member for Korle Dudor in Accra, Mr Bright Dzila, has pledged to lead efforts to protect the Korle Lagoon from further environmental degradation. He was speaking to the Ghana News Agency (GNA) in Accra on Sunday at a gala football match he organized for seven football teams in the area. Mr Dzila, also known as Efo Bright, said he wanted to serve as a mediator between communities in the area, especially residents of Old Fadama, Agbogbloshie and June 934" and the Accra Metropolitan Assembly (= AMA) and the Ghana Railways Company if he was given the nod in the December 28 elections.

He noted that residents of the communities were not certain as to their continued stay in their current location. While the AMA has been threatening residents of Old Fadama, Agbogbloshi= e and some communities with eviction to make way for the continuation of the Korle Lagoon Ecological Restoration Project, the Railway Company was demanding its land currently occupied by residents of June 4 and areas around Kantamanto, all in the electoral area. The AMA's action is also the result of pollution of the lagoon by residents of the communities.

Mr Dzila said he would like to be a symbol of hope and go between the residents and the AMA and the Railway Company to keep them well informed about developments and expressed his commitment on the need to protect the lagoon and the environment. He also expressed concern about fire outbreaks, especially at the markets in the area and said he would promote the establishment of a Task Force to patrol the markets day and night to prevent criminal activities an= d fire outbreaks.

"If such a Task Force had been in place the recent Makola Number Two fire could have been avoided or at least the effect mitigated," he said. Mr Dzila said he would also encourage the formation of a group to ensur= e sanitation at the markets as a way of job creation and to maintain environmental cleanliness, which was a problem for the area. A number of major markets in Accra including Makola Number two, Agbogbloshie and Kantamanto, Kokomba and the Yam and Onion markets are situated in the Electoral Area. The Northern Star football club emerged winners of the gala and took home a football and an undisclosed sum while the team from Arena was second with Agenda FC from Kokomba taking the third position.