AMA To Convert Stinking Korle Lagoon Into Fishing Hub

The Accra Metropolitan Assembly (AMA) says the Korle Lagoon, which has for years been a receptacle for solid and liquid waste, will now be turned into a fishing lagoon.

The lagoon has been dredged many times but, due to what has been been described as bad attitudinal behaviour, it fills up again with garbage and other pollutants.

At the ongoing 64th Annual New Year School on Tuesday, Accra mayor Dr. Alfred Vanderpuije disclosed this when announced that an approximately 600 million dollar loan from the Exim Bank funds has been secured to develop Accra.

He believes that a once-and-for-all dredging will make the lagoon suitable for fishermen to extend their fishing expeditions onto it.

However, Dr. Vanderpuije admitted that a lot of education needs to be done to ensure that people respect the lagoon and keep it pristine once it is restored.

The AMA, he announced, would also permanently close the site known as Lavender Hill, a sarcastic nickname that refers to the offensive stench that emanates from the place, and construct a new landfill site to accommodate waste in the city.

These plans, he said, are part of several measures that the Assembly is putting in place this year to adequately deal with the unsanitary conditions in Accra.

The Assembly is bent on ensuring that no one escapes paying for the waste they generate this year, he stated.

He said the AMA will provide every household with bins and assured the public that they will not be left uncollected for days given that a new landfill site will be commissioned at the end of this week to contain the filth.

Joy News' Hannah Odame, who covered the event, reported that the Mayor also talked about covering drains in the capital to prevent flooding and the spread of disease.

He also advocated for the establishment of Municipal Bonds to enable assemblies to better execute their projects.