‘Let’s turn Old Fadama into green park’

The Great Consolidated Popular Party (GCPP) has lauded the Chief Executive of the Accra Metropolitan Assembly (AMA), Dr Alfred Okoe Vanderpuye, for demolishing structures on watercourses within the metropolis.

According to the Chairman and Leader of the party, Dr Henry Lartey, the exercise was long overdue and, therefore, appealed to all stakeholders to not interfere in the demolition exercise taking place at Sodom and Gomorrah.

In an interview with the Daily Graphic, Dr Lartey pointed out that the June 3, 2015 flood and fire disasters which claimed over 159 lives in the metropolis affirmed that long-held view that the demolition of such structures would help to minimise flooding.
He asked the political parties to not bring undue pressure on the mayor to thwart his efforts to inject discipline into the affairs of metropolis, saying: “Disrespect for the rule of law must stop once and for all.”

Dredging exercise

A dredging exercise has begun on the Odaw drain in Accra by the AMA to remove all silt and make way for free flow of water.
This follows a chain of demolition exercises at the Sodom and Gomorrah area after the June 3 flood and fire disasters.
Thousands of residents have been displaced following the demolition exercise, which began last Saturday.

Green Park

Dr Lartey suggested that the Old Fadama area should be turned into a Green Park of biodiversity.
He called for the adoption of the Korle Lagoon Development Project, which was suspended after the overthrow of Dr Kwame Nkrumah.
Under the project, the whole Korle Lagoon area will have a cultural and amusement centre comprising a gallery of African arts, restaurants, hotels and cinema houses.
It will also have a sports centre, floating rafts and rowing boats, in addition to a first aid and medical centre.

Next demolition

According to Dr Lartey, the next demolition exercise must take place in Osu Klottey and along the Osu beach to make way for the development of beaches with floating rafts and rowing boats.
He said the demolition exercise was one of the greatest life-saving decisions taken by the AMA.

Background

A part of the Old Fadama community, popularly called Sodom and Gomorrah, came into being in the early 1990s following bloody clashes between the Kokomba and Nanumba ethnic groups in the Northern Region, which left thousands dead and others fleeing the region.