The Minister for Tourism, Tradition and Inventive Arts, Abla Dzifa Gomashie, has cautioned Ghanaians to cease blaming solely politicians for the nation’s issues and as an alternative take private accountability, particularly in defending the atmosphere.
She gave the warning on the again of the continuing demolishing train being undertaken by the Better Accra Regional Minister and the Regional Safety Council (REGSEC) to safeguard Ghana’s wetlands, waterways, and guarded Ramsar websites from encroachment and unlawful growth.
Based on Madam Gomashie, many voters knowingly construct in restricted areas and later ask for leniency or compensation after their constructions are eliminated.
“You do the fallacious factor, and once we come to demolish it, you beg for mercy and ask for compensation. However why ought to authorities pay for one thing you knew was fallacious? All of us must do the appropriate factor” she mentioned.
She added that safeguarding the nation’s pure areas shouldn’t be the only responsibility of politicians.
“There’s this concept that solely politicians should do the appropriate factor. However what about the remainder of us? If you happen to construct on a waterway or in a dangerous space, you’re a part of the issue,” she pressured.
The Better Accra Regional Minister, Linda Obenewaa Akweley Ocloo, who’s main the demolition efforts, mentioned the operation is aimed toward restoring key protected areas and decreasing the chance of flooding within the metropolis.
She defined that three Ramsar websites within the area Densu Delta, Songo Lagoon, and Sakumono Lagoon have been closely encroached upon by unlawful constructions.
“We’re not ending right here. After this, we’ll transfer to different places. These websites are reserved and other people had been conscious they weren’t supposed to construct there,” she mentioned.
Madam Ocloo acknowledged that after the demolition, the areas could be cleared and handed over to the Forestry Fee for correct upkeep.
She added that there have been presently no plans for compensation. “Why would you anticipate compensation whenever you knew it was fallacious to construct there within the first place?” she requested.
Director-Normal of the Nationwide Catastrophe Administration Organisation (NADMO), Dr. Joseph Bikanyi Kuyon, indicated that the motion shouldn’t be meant to punish individuals however to guard the neighborhood and restore pure steadiness.
“Whenever you construct the place you’re not speculated to, there’s just one resolution, to take away the construction. Demolition is finished to guard human life and protect the atmosphere. It’s not out of wickedness; it’s about public security” he famous.
He pressured the significance of contemplating the curiosity of the bulk, not simply particular person beneficial properties, particularly when lives and pure assets are in danger.
Environmental knowledgeable, Prof. Alex Berima Owusu of the College of Ghana, warned that destroying wetlands and ecological methods will carry unfavourable penalties for everybody.
He defined that people and the atmosphere are intently linked.
“After we destroy nature, we pay for it. The atmosphere suffers and human beings bear the implications. That’s the reason we have to let the legislation work. These locations are ecologically essential and have to be protected for future generations” he mentioned.
He urging all Ghanaians to respect land use laws and environmental legal guidelines, and to work collectively to guard wetlands and water our bodies, which play a key function in controlling floods, sustaining biodiversity, and making certain a sustainable future.
By: Jacob Aggrey
