Government has begun demolishing illegal structures built on reclaimed and silted portions of the Kpeshie Lagoon at Laboma Beach as authorities intensify efforts to restore waterways and reduce flood risks across the Greater Accra Region.
The Post Flood Mitigation Task Force began the demolition on Sunday following a directive from the Greater Accra Regional Security Council issued on Aug. 6, which gave occupants within the former protected lagoon buffer zone 21 days to vacate.
The operation, led by the 48 Engineer Regiment, targeted structures built on land that previously served as a water retention basin with vegetation before being cleared, filled and developed.
The Task Force said the exercise was limited to identified illegal structures and did not cover the entire area known as Laboma. The team also demolished a newly constructed wall along the Labadi-Teshie road that had been erected to block off an area where vegetation had been destroyed and filling with solid materials was underway.
The Kpeshie Lagoon has been identified as a critical intervention point under the government’s post-flood mitigation programme after years of illegal reclamation, sand filling and uncontrolled development reduced its natural capacity to retain floodwaters.
A risk assessment by the Greater Accra Regional Coordinating Council found that the conversion of parts of the lagoon’s floodplain into commercial plots contributed to severe flooding in the Tse Addo area during recent heavy rains.
Greater Accra Regional Minister Linda Ohenewaa Akweley Ocloo said the operation proceeded peacefully and forms part of a wider strategy to restore the region’s waterways and prevent future flooding.
She said developers had used heavy boulders to reclaim sections of the lagoon, dumping rocks into the water body before covering them with sand and other materials to create artificial land for construction.
“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 added, “ 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 sobgar there has not been any resistance”
Wider Flood Mitigation Drive
The Laboma operation is the latest in a series of enforcement and restoration exercises being carried out at flood-prone locations across Greater Accra.
On July 24, the Task Force demolished illegal retaining walls and unauthorised structures along the banks of the Tesa Dam and the Legon Boundary Road watercourse after affected residents were given three weeks’ notice.
Dredging followed the demolition to restore the dam’s storage capacity.
The operation subsequently moved to the Lafa Water Retention Basin at Mallam, where the 48 Engineer Regiment used heavy equipment to remove compacted solid waste that had significantly reduced the natural reservoir’s capacity.
Illegal structures within the water reserve were also demolished, while protective embankments were constructed and debris transported to a designated landfill at Nsawam.
The 48 Engineer Regiment is also undertaking dredging works at the Kpeshie Lagoon using excavators and tipper trucks acquired to support the post-flood mitigation programme.
The Task Force is led by Deputy Chief of Staff, Operations, Stan Xoese Dogbe, with operational coordination by Brigadier General Okae-Yeboah, Director General, Joint Operations of the Ghana Armed Forces.
The programme combines demolition, dredging and restoration of retention basins as the government seeks to improve stormwater flow and reduce the exposure of communities and property to flooding.
Authorities say similar enforcement and restoration exercises will continue at identified flood-prone locations.
