Nungua, Nov. 21, - Klor-Lumor
Borketey Laweh Tsuru, the Overlord of the GaDanmge State, has called for the
demolition of buildings in the Sakumo wetlands for the restoration of its
ecology.
“I am challenging the Wildlife
Department of the Forestry Commission and other relevant state institutions to
demolish all structures in the wetlands. People in authority and institutions
must first learn to obey the law to make the ordinary person law abiding,” he
said.
In an interview with the Ghana
News Agency at his shrine in Nungua, the Gorbu Wulomo Shitse (the High Priest)
warned traditional leaders who were conniving with state institutions and
individuals to balkanize the lagoon to stop the practice immediately.
According to him, traditional
leaders around the wetlands had overstepped their boundaries and undermined the
culture, traditions and spirituality of the people and warned of dire
consequences.
He asked the officials of the
Forestry Commission who were also involved in the illegal sale of land in the
wetlands to desist forthwith and encouraged those seeking to enforce the law
“not to be intimidated by the politicians, businessman and women and civil
servants who are doctoring official files and using all tools at their disposal
to grab land in the Ramsar site.”
The Gorbu Wulomo Shitse wondered
why the Ghana government was so quiet on the destruction of the wetlands when
it had voluntarily subscribed to the Ramsar convention which mandated it to
protect and conserve such areas for ecological, economics reasons and human
survival.
“This is a special place endowed with all the
ecological structures to serve as a habitat for rare and endangered species as
well as a flood control mechanism. Even birds from abroad visit the place.
Butterflies of all kinds are now being killed. The people can hardly get fish
in the little pools of water that gather within the wetland as result of
pollution and obstruction of the feeder streams and other sources. Are we
waiting for the obvious to happen before we start thinking about the usefulness
of the wetlands?”
He said: “We need action to stop
this rape and desecration. The rhetoric will not help. Enough is enough!”
GNA
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