The idea came about as a result of the indiscriminate construction of structures by individuals and estate developers, leaving no green belts in the city and its immediate environs. The whole of Greater Accra has become one big city.
Today, the consequences of these indiscriminate actions include brick and mortar works from Accra towards Tema and beyond on the east; Kasoa and Winneba on the west and Nsawam along the northern corridor.
There are other areas such as Aburi in the Eastern Region that have become part of Accra in terms of the construction of estates, as well as Dodowa, which has also become the growth pole because everybody is looking for a roof over his or her head.
The desire by all to own properties has led to the encroachment on public lands for private use.
Accra is growing into a very big slum, with new sprawling suburbs which do not have access roads, water, playgrounds and parks.
This problem is not peculiar to Accra but a challenge that has affected all urban centres because of the tendency by all residents to put up their own houses in order to escape the incessant harassment from landlords.
A few years ago, Accra had many green belts and backyards that residents converted into farms which contributed a great deal to the success of the Operation Feed Yourself (OFY) programme of the Kutu Acheampong government in the 1970s.
Presently, landowners in Accra have sold all the land that was used for agricultural purposes for the construction of houses, leaving farmers in the area with no access to means of livelihood.
It is unfortunate that the authorities who are to regulate spatial development in our country look on helplessly while wrong things are being done by developers.
If these actions go unchecked, we may lose not only the opportunity to provide playgrounds and schools for our children but also farmlands for those who want to earn a living by farming.
There is also the danger of exacerbating the phenomenon of climate change if the authorities allow developers to clear all the green belts for brick and mortar.
We are told that when the last tree dies, the last man dies, yet we are not making efforts to keep the vegetation in order to sustain life on earth.
The Daily Graphic is unable to fathom the inability of the authorities to introduce best practices from other jurisdictions where there is a careful balance between the development of real estates and agricultural activities in order to maintain the ecological equilibrium.
We wonder whether we need rocket scientists to determine that if we do not halt the indiscriminate development of our lands, there is danger ahead of us.
The country may not be headed only for more climate change challenges but also the use of all its resources for present demands, without recourse to the needs of the future generation.
It is against this background that the Daily Graphic thinks government officials should take action against those who encroach on public lands.
There seems to be no end in sight because in the scramble for state lands, public officials who are to pull the brakes on the practice are themselves guilty of the offence.
During his visit to Dawhenya in the Greater Accra Region last weekend, President John Mahama warned encroachers on government acquired lands to vacate them or face eviction by the security agencies.
The Daily Graphic hopes that the President’s order will be carried out to end the grabbing of state lands by all manner of people, without the authorities raising a finger.
Our development processes will not be sustainable if we do not introduce order into land administration in the country.
Many developers have assumed, rather wrongly, that any structure that is above the lintel level cannot be demolished and, therefore, they proceed to work on projects even in the night to outwit the law.
Yes, the law must have a human face, but we should not give too much room to a few persons to make life uncomfortable for law-abiding citizens. There must be order in the sale and use of land for all purposes in the country.
Daily Graphic/Ghana
