Ga South MCE warns of demolition of 1,200 illegal structures to tackle flooding
The Municipal Chief Executive (MCE) for Ga South, Moses Kabutey Ocansey, has urged residents to prioritise environmental sanitation to improve waste management and protect lives and property across the municipality.
Addressing participants during the National Sanitation Day exercise at Ngleshie Amanfro, Mr Ocansey stressed that achieving cleaner communities requires a collective commitment to proper environmental practices.
“Clean communities do not happen by accident. It takes deliberate action from all of us. If we all commit to proper waste disposal and desist from polluting drains, Ga South will become a model municipality,” he said.
As part of efforts to tackle recurring flooding and unauthorised developments, the MCE revealed that the assembly has identified about 1,200 illegal structures slated for demolition.
He cautioned residents against constructing buildings on waterways and in unauthorised locations, warning that the assembly would strictly enforce planning and environmental regulations.
“The laws are clear. No one should build in waterways. We are going to be tough because these actions put lives at risk, especially during the rainy season,” he stated.
The National Sanitation Day exercise attracted thousands of residents, assembly officials and security personnel, who participated in sweeping streets, clearing weeds and desilting choked drains throughout Ngleshie Amanfro.
In addition to the clean-up activities, engineers were deployed to dredge selected drains to improve water flow and reduce the risk of flooding.
Mr Ocansey and his team toured several communities over the two-day exercise to assess progress and monitor activities.
At American Farm, the MCE inspected an illegal refuse dumpsite situated along the banks of the River Jei, which he said had contributed significantly to the severe flooding recently experienced in the area.
He disclosed that the assembly had shut down the dumpsite and initiated legal action against those responsible.
The inspection team also visited heavily affected sections of the Accra–Kasoa Highway, including Ataala and Osiadan near the Kasoa Ridge, where recent heavy rains caused extensive damage.
During the visit, residents of American Farm near the Pacific Fuel Station appealed to the assembly to replace an existing culvert with a proper bridge, explaining that the current structure is unable to handle large volumes of water during heavy rainfall, resulting in flooding and disruption to movement.
National Sanitation Day is observed on the first Saturday of every month as a nationwide voluntary clean-up campaign. Introduced on November 1, 2014, in response to a deadly cholera outbreak, the initiative seeks to promote communal labour, improve waste management, prevent disease outbreaks and encourage cleaner communities.
To facilitate the exercise, several metropolitan, municipal and district assemblies direct shops and businesses to remain closed for part of the morning to allow business owners and workers to clean their surroundings.
Mr Ocansey reaffirmed the assembly’s commitment to sustaining the sanitation campaign and urged residents to regard environmental cleanliness as a shared civic responsibility rather than solely a government obligation.
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