Odaw basin area to be turned into recreational centre
The banks of the Odaw basin in Accra are to be converted into a recreational facility to beautify the area and also generate revenue for the state.
The Korle Klottey Municipal Assembly has, therefore, secured the area by erecting a concrete wall to protect it from encroachers.
Advertisement
This was after the relocation of scrap dealers and other encroachers from the banks along the Graphic Road flyover and Letap Pharmaceuticals.
While the Ministry of Sanitation and Water Resources was still in consultations with relevant stakeholders to come out with a masterplan for the project, the assembly was also protecting the area from activities which contributed to its perennial floods that mostly spilt over to homes along the Odaw at Adrabaka and Official Town.
Interview
In an interview with the Municipal Chief Executive (MCE) of KoKMA, Mr Nii Adjei Tawiah, he said maintaining sanity in the area was a collaborative effort among the KoKMA, the Accra Metropolitan Assembly (AMA) and the Ablekuma Central Municipal Assembly (AbCMA) to fence around the entire drain.
The area, which he said used to be an eyesore in the national capital, was completely cleared of human activities as part of a “Let Accra Work” project launched by the Greater Accra Regional Coordinating Council (GARCC).
The objective of the exercise, which commenced in May this year, was to turn the area into a recreational centre as part of the Lower Korle Lagoon redevelopment project.
The MCE of KoKMA, Mr Tawiah, said the dredging of the Odaw River and the Korle Lagoon was hampered over the years due to the persistent indiscriminate dumping of refuse, among other negative practices.
He further explained that the erection of the wall was to, among others, prevent people from dumping refuse in the Odaw under the cover of darkness.
Other Trending Stories
Odaw River
Running water from Abokobi and Adjankote hills through Ashongman, Atomic Energy, West Legon, Achimota, Alajo, Avenor and Agbogbloshie ends up in the Odaw River and finally runs into the Atlantic Ocean through the Korle Lagoon.
Noted for its filth, the river has been a receptacle of volumes of various waste materials which often block the smooth flow of waste water causing it to overflow its banks and run into people’s homes and surrounding offices.
The area is host to global companies such as Toyota, Japan Motors, Rana Motors and Silver Star, banks, the Graphic Communications Group and Letap Pharmaceuticals.
When the Daily Graphic visited the section of the river on the Graphic Road last Friday, there were no human activities since the scrap dealers and petty traders in the area had all been cleared.
It was also observed that a massive de-silting exercise had taken place and the remnants cleared.