Government has commenced the demolition of structures at the Weija Ramsar site after transport company Caitec failed to reverse illegal landfilling in the area.

Caitec failed to follow a presidential directive to reverse the illegal reclamation of a protected wetland area, according to the Greater Accra Minister, Linda Ocloo .

Her remarks come after a recent inspection of the site yesterday, April 10, to check on the progress of work following the president’s orders, but checks revealed that the company had not yet complied with the president’s order.

Linda Ocloo expressed her disappointment over the company’s failure to act when she spoke to the media.

“We came here, and His Excellency told them that they should do two things: they should scoop all the materials that they used to fill this place and also dredge the place at their own cost. We sent a letter to them only for us to come here today and see what we are seeing.

There are a lot of machines there, so releasing the machine shouldn’t be a problem for them. So this is intentional, and I don’t know who is compromising with them and the entire assembly to overlook the messages that have been sent to them," she stated.

Consequently, she noted that the government's team would "remobilize, and come back with our machine to do whatever we want to do."

Following remobilization, the team commenced demolishing the illegal structures erected.

During his visit on April 4, during a tour of flood-prone areas in Accra, President John Dramani Mahama ordered the company to undo the reclamation at its own expense to facilitate dredging efforts as the city prepares for the rainy season.

His directive comes at a time when several urban centres in the country continue to experience havoc due to flooding whenever it rains for an extended period.

For decades, the country’s capital, Accra, in particular, has faced chronic flooding due to blocked drainage systems and construction on floodplains. Heavy rains in March and April turned roads into rivers, submerged homes, and disrupted daily life.

The Ghana Meteorological Agency had warned of intense rains this year, and the National Disaster Management Organization (NADMO) has been working to address the crisis.

On April 7, NADMO announced plans to demolish structures obstructing waterways and also redirect waterpaths where necessary to save properties in its efforts to mitigate flooding risks.