La residents to demolish structures on waterways

Some residents at Tse-Addo, at La in Accra, have threatened to demolish buildings and ongoing projects sited on waterways, if the La Dade-Kotopon Municipal Assembly fails to do so.

They claimed that although the Assembly had written ‘stop work’ on a number of the buildings, they are still under construction.

Speaking to The Ghanaian Times in separate interviews, the residents said the projects, including a multi-purpose worship centre (church), sited on waterways, posed danger with the onset of the rains.

They said even though the Assembly gave a May 26, deadline for the developers to stop work, they were still putting up structures on the waterways.

“If the Assembly does not take steps to either stop them from continuing such projects or demolish the structures, then we will take the law into our own hands to do that,” they threatened.

When The Times visited some of the areas such as Fire Junction Down and behind the Trade Fair Centre, the team saw a number of houses and other structures under construction on waterways, thereby blocking the flow of water from Burma Camp through the lagoon into the sea.

A resident, Gliford Tetteh Adams, described as worrying, the spate of ongoing projects on waterways in the area.

“Some developers are still tipping sand, gravels and other building materials on the waterways and within the mangroves, despite the numerous warnings,” he said.

Madam Mercy Annan-Sackey, another resident, said until recently, the area had never experienced flooding but because of the projects, a number of houses within the area get flooded with the slightest rain.

According to her, the haphazard construction of houses and other infrastructure within the area was not just worrying, but posed a threat to the survival of the residents, and therefore urged the assembly to take action before the situation got out of hand.

When contacted, the Municipal Chief Executive, Rita Odoley Sowah, said her outfit had taken a number of initiatives, including meeting the developers who had agreed to stop work, but said they had not complied with the directive.

She said the assembly would soon demolish the structures, adding that it had met with the Water Resources Commission which created a buffer, distancing the waterways and where construction could take place.

“All buildings on the waterways will be demolished, now that we have received documents from the Commission,” she said.