NewzThe Greater Accra Regional Security Council (REGSEC) has issued a 21-day ultimatum to residents and businesses occupying the protected buffer zone of the Kpeshie Lagoon at Laboma Beach to vacate the area ahead of a planned demolition exercise. The directive affects several structures within the Laboma enclave in the La Dade-Kotopon Municipality, including the popular Pink Flamingo lounge, which authorities say has been constructed within the lagoon’s protected buffer zone. According to REGSEC, extensive siltation of the lagoon and increasing unauthorised developments within the buffer zone have contributed to worsening flooding in parts of the Greater Accra Region.
Leading a tour of the area, the Greater Accra Regional Minister, Linda Ocloo, said the planned demolition forms part of the government’s broader strategy to reduce flooding and protect waterways across the region. She warned that occupants who fail to comply with the 21-day eviction notice would be forcibly removed to enable authorities to reclaim and restore the buffer zone. The Minister disclosed that some developers had previously been directed to halt construction in the area but ignored the warnings and continued with their projects.
“Some of the buildings here, when they were at their early stage, we asked the owners not to continue, but they still went ahead. People sometimes just push us and call you all kinds of names. At the end of the day, I am not even sure the encroachers even have permits,” she said.
Mrs Ocloo stressed that continued encroachment on waterways and wetlands poses a serious threat to efforts to manage flooding and improve drainage infrastructure in the capital. The planned demolition is part of an ongoing campaign by the Greater Accra Regional Coordinating Council and other state agencies to reclaim waterways, remove unauthorised structures and strengthen flood resilience in vulnerable communities across the region. The Greater Accra Regional Minister, Linda Ocloo has given residents and property owners encroaching on the Kpeshie Lagoon buffer zone at Laboma Beach a 21-day ultimatum to vacate or remove their structures or face demolition.
The minister made the announcement during an inspection of the area, describing the exercise as part of ongoing efforts to reclaim waterways and address perennial flooding. “We are here purposely because of the ongoing flooding within the river,” the minister said. “We did a demolition exercise some time ago.
It doesn’t mean that we stopped… Today, we are here to support them to make sure that we reclaim our waterway.” She disclosed that authorities had intended to begin demolitions immediately but decided to grant residents more time after learning that occupants had not received sufficient notice. “Honestly, we were here to do the exercise, but on second thought, we were told that the occupants have not been given enough notice,” she said. “We are giving them 21 days.” The minister warned that all structures within the designated buffer zone must be removed before the deadline.
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