Greater Accra REGSEC declares Ramsar sites security zones

The Greater Accra Regional Security Council (REGSEC) has taken over the security of the Ramsar sites immediately.

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A statement issued by the REGSEC yesterday said it had “noted with great concern the impunity with which some Ghanaians and foreigners were carelessly building in all Ramsar sites within the region, which was causing serious flooding, posing threats to the city and its dwellers.

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The decision comes after it emerged that the once beautiful Sakumo Lagoon and Densu Delta (Weija) Ramsar sites are being encroached upon by developers, despite attempts by both the local government authorities and the Greater Accra Regional Coordinating Council to stop individuals and estate developers from using the lands for construction.

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Encroachers, said to be influential persons with political clout, continue to encroach on the wetlands around the Sakumo Ramsar site despite the Tema Metropolitan Assembly (TMA), TDC Ghana Limited, and the Greater Accra Regional Security Council (REGSEC) ordering developers to halt construction in the Ramsar site and to produce permits or face sanctions.

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A similar defiant posture at the Weija Ramsar site has seen continuous construction works in the area, with the two situations compelling the Regional Minister designate, Daniel Titus-Glover, leading a team from the Greater Accra REGSEC on a tour of the Ramsar sites last Thursday and Friday.

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Mr Titus-Glover, who was accompanied by officers from the TMA, visited communities 12, 11, 10, 6, 5 and 3, portions of which are covered by the Sakumo Ramsar site, and came face to face with new buildings springing up on the periphery of the lagoon, with the watercourse filled with sand.

After the tour, Mr Titus-Glover described the continuing development and construction at the Ramsar site as a reckless abuse which posed a threat to human lives and pointed out that the REGSEC would not sit unconcerned.