Aerial view of the Kpeshie Lagoon enclave
Deputy Chief of Staff in charge of Operations, Stan Xoese Dogbe, has directed the Greater Accra Regional Coordinating Council (GARCC) to commence the ecological restoration of reclaimed sections of the Kpeshie Lagoon following the removal of illegal structures within the wetland’s protected buffer zone.
The directive was issued at Laboma following a demolition exercise by the Post Flood Mitigation Task Force as part of ongoing measures to restore flood-control infrastructure and protect critical water retention areas across Greater Accra.
In a post sighted by the paper, Stan Xoese Dogbe revealed that the restoration will involve the Forestry Commission and the Environmental Protection Authority (EPA), with plans to plant coconut and other suitable trees while providing the environmental safeguards needed to restore the fragile ecosystem.
Mr. Dogbe emphasised that the objective is not simply to clear the area, but to return the reclaimed sections to their natural state, strengthen the lagoon’s capacity to retain floodwaters, and prevent future encroachment.
He added that the Kpeshie Lagoon is among Accra’s critical flood intervention points, with years of reclamation, sand filling and development having reduced its natural water-holding capacity.
“With the clearance now underway, authorities will move towards debris removal, vegetation restoration and sustained environmental protection to strengthen the wetland’s resilience against future flooding,” the post read.
The Post-Flood Mitigation Task Force has begun demolishing illegal structures built within the protected buffer zone of the Kpeshie Lagoon at Laboma Beach in the La Dade-Kotopon Municipality. The exercise, which started in the early hours of Sunday, September 13, affected the popular Pink Flamingo Lounge and several other residential and commercial structures.
The operation is being led by the 48 Engineer Regiment of the Ghana Armed Forces under the Post-Flood Mitigation Task Force set up by government after the June 29 floods.
It follows an August 7 directive by the Greater Accra Regional Security Council (REGSEC) which gave occupants of the buffer zone a 21-day ultimatum to vacate. Speaking at the site, Greater Accra Regional Minister, Linda Ohenewaa Akweley Ocloo, said the exercise was peaceful and forms part of broader efforts to reclaim waterways and prevent flooding.
She said developers had reclaimed portions of the lagoon by dumping boulders and sand-filling to create artificial land for hotels and other businesses. “All this place used to be mangrove, it’s a wetland. They cut the trees, filled this place and sold the land to developers,” she said.
BY Prince Fiifi Yorke