Unauthorized structures along waterways in Tema, Klagon, and the Sakumo Ramsar site will be torn down effective Tuesday, May 27.

The demolition exercise which has been launched by the Greater Accra Regional Security Council (REGSEC) is intended to manage flooding, enforce environmental regulations in the region and also revive natural watercourses.

The operation comes shorly after the recent devastating floods that hit parts of Accra on Sunday, May 18.

In a meeting with Metropolitan, Municipal, and District Chief Executives (MMDCEs), on Tuesday, May 26, the Greater Accra Regional Minister Linda Ocloo has revealed plans of stationing a task force within the country to avert a possible erection of the demolished structures.

“We will continue with the demolition exercise at Sakumono and Tema. In some places where the demolition was done, they have raised the structure again. So we are going to cause an arrest. We are not going to leave a single structure; all of them will go down,” the Minister stated.

“After the demolition, we are going to put a task force in place who will be working 24 hours to protect the place,” she added.

She bemoaned the compliance amongst some of the affected individuals although they were noticed prior to the exercise.

“They are aware. In fact, there has been an engagement, they are very much aware of this exercise. Some of the buildings have notices of ‘Stop Work,’” she stated.

There is mounting pressure on government to initiate long lasting solutions following the recent flood on Sunday, May 18, that wrecked several homes, claimed lives, displaced residents and disrupted economic activities.

Weija, Kaneshie, Adabraka, Tema, and Adentan-Dodowa are a few of the areas that have been affected by the rains.

Meanwhile, the National Disaster Management Organisation (NADMO), Richard Amo Yartey, has revealed that five lives were lost to the heavy rains on Sunday, May 18.

President John Dramani Mahama has reaffirmed his commitment to tackling Ghana’s persistent flooding challenges by ordering the demolition of illegally constructed buildings blocking waterways.

Speaking at the 2025 National Eid-ul-Fitr celebration at Black Star Square, he blamed the increasing flood disasters on poor urban planning and unauthorized developments in wetlands, waterways, and Ramsar sites.

The President made it clear that his administration would take drastic action against encroachers, stressing that all structures obstructing natural drainage systems would be removed to prevent further destruction.