Mr. John Allotey, the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Forestry Commission, has hinted that residents of Kumasi may face water shortage if the encroachment on government lands that protect the Owabi Dam catchment area is not checked.
His fears come from development of the said lands by some individual and private developers who have taken the law into their hands to encroach upon the lands reserved to protect the Owabi Dam without permit.
He said these prospective developers are busily building and indiscriminately felling trees that protect the Dam from heavy evaporation.
Mr. John Allotey made the observation when he, together with Mr. Augustine Gyedu, the Ashanti Regional Manager of the Forestry Commission, Mr. Mahama Sulemana, Executive Secretary of Lands Commission and officers from the Stool lands visited the Owabi Dam, that serves about 40% of the population of Kumasi, as part of working visit to ascertain the rate of encroachment.
He revealed that, if the encroachment and the indiscriminate felling of trees in the reserves does not stop, residents around Sofoline, Tanoso, Atafoa and Nkawie could be affected by water shortage.
The Forestry Commission boss promised that, the Forestry Commission would collaborate with the Ministry of Lands and Natural Resources, the Minerals Commission, Lands Commission, Stool Lands and the Regional Security Council and House of Chiefs and take pragmatic measures to ensure that government reserved lands are protect and rid the Owabi Dam from encroachment.
The bid, he said, would help save the water and also reduce the cost of government expenses in the treatment of water.
Mr. Alfred Galenku, manager at Owabi Dam, stated that the Owabi Dam, which was 22.5 metres in depth, is now 6.5 metres because of the mud from the buildings, sand wining and felling of trees close to the Dam.
He explained that, the trees protect the water not to evaporate and without the trees the Dam will dry out, hence the need to stop the encroachment, for water is life.
Mr. Mahama Sulemana, the Executive Secretary of Lands Commission also pleaded with the media to help create awareness and educate the public on the challenges that they are facing, saying no building should see the light of the day without the concerns of the Land Commission as required by the constitution.
The Executive Secretary attributed the encroachment of the area by some chiefs to the high land value which induces chiefs to sell more lands, including reserved ones.
Mr.Sulemana pleaded with those chiefs in such acts to stop in order to save the government some money spent on water treatment and channel it to other developmental projects to make life meaningful for the citizenry.
The post More encroachers raid Owabi Dam catchment lands appeared first on The Chronicle Online.
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