Remove all properties cited along buffers – Local Gov’t ministry warns

Mr Eric Tetteh-Addison, the Director, of Policy, Planning, Monitoring and Evaluation, Ministry of Local Government, Decentralisation and Rural Development (MLGDRD), has warned the public to remove all properties cited along buffers.

He said these exercises should be embarked on by the public, between now and when the ministry decided to embark on an inspection.

The Director said the Ministry would not announce the exact day or date it would be embarking on its inspection exercise and advised the public to act accordingly.

Mr Tetteh-Addisson, who was speaking on behalf of Mr Martin Adjei-Mensah Korsah, the Minister for MLGDRD, said this at a press briefing in Accra, to commence a tour to some selected municipal assemblies within the Greater Accra Region.

He said it was the responsibility of the Assemblies to ensure that such properties were not cited at various buffer areas, but if they remained adamant and overlooked such unacceptable acts, the Ministry would deal with the various assemblies involved.

The Director said the Ministry was not “happy” with the attitudes of some of the Assemblies in mitigating the impacts of flooding during rainfalls.

“By law, the Assemblies are to ensure that drains and gutters are desilted to help mitigate flooding, unfortunately the Ministry has observed how the Assemblies are relaxed on their responsibilities waiting for the ministry to come in before actions are taken,” he said.

He said the Ministry was aware that with every drain constructed, there were buffers available to protect and minimise the impact of flooding, but unfortunately, most people had illegally encroached on these buffers, exacerbating flooding processes and their impacts.

“The ministry is also aware that while some of these people may be illegally positioning themselves there, some of them also possess lease documents from the various assemblies, meaning the assemblies are also aware that the people are there illegally,” he added.

Mr Tetteh-Addison charged the various Assemblies to begin with desilting exercises as soon as possible, and to withdraw all illegal lease documents made available to some people who had encroached buffer areas to help address flooding issues as we approached the rainy season.

“Last year you were here when the Minister announced the release of funds for the assemblies to undertake these activities, this year as well same has been done, with an amount of GHS 8.2 million released to the 17 beneficiary assemblies of the GARID project.

“That is why we are going out unannounced to see if they are waiting for the Ministry to come before they start their desilting exercises or vice versa,” he said.

The Director said sanctions would be applied to individuals from various assemblies found guilty of various illegal acts going against the objectives of tackling flooding issues in the country.

“The sanctions are in multiple folds, depending on your level of deviance and the sanctions it attracts, but the sanctions will not just affect the assemblies at large but the individuals working in the assemblies whose inactions are creating challenges affecting individuals in the community,” he added.

Mr Kwadwo Yeboah, the Chief Executive Officer of the Land Use and Spatial Planning Authority (LUSPA), said the responsibility of planning rested with the district assemblies, adding that the law had mandated the assemblies as planning authorities to implement.

He said the ministries and various agencies were supposed to develop policies, guidelines and directives to ensure that the assemblies complied with the various legislation.

“So, we are trying to create the awareness that the Assemblies are responsible for all these, and if you want to ensure that they are working, you must go there and find out to be able to help tell which of the Assemblies are not leaving up to expectations,” he said.

He said the Ministery was being proactive in finding out what the Assemblies were doing and letting them know their responsibilities, saying it was always better to enrich the outlook of the capacities of the assemblies so that they could do the right thing.