The Assembly Man for the Asemensido Electoral Area Osuman Ibrahim has refuted claims of illegal sand winning activity by a contractor on the Sekondi Lagoon in Sekondi.
According to him, the dredging of the lagoon has become necessary to enhance the free flow of water from Kojokrom, Takoradi and Mpintsin.
The National Disaster and Management Organization (NADMO) and the Metro Chief Executive (MCE) amongst other traditional leaders decided to employ the services of a contractor to undertake the dredging of the lagoon to avoid flooding when the rains are in.
“Because the lagoon has not been dredged for some time whenever it rains, the water overflows its banks and floods the homes of residents which causes havoc.
“The NADMO coordinator and the MCE decided to employ a contractor to undertake the project. It is never true that sand winning is ongoing in the lagoon. This exercise has gone on since last year,” he indicated.
His response comes on the back of reports in the media about a contractor engaging in sand winning in the Sekondi Lagoon.
Touching on some of sanitation issues facing the Area, Ibrahim mentioned that residents indiscriminately throw rubbish in and around the lagoon making the beaches unclean.
“I have red-handedly caught a woman disposing off waste on the shores of the lagoon and I made her take it off,” he said.
Mr Ibrahim amongst other things bemoaned the poor nature of the road which serves numerous purposes for Sekondi and its environs.
He said the deplorable state of the road is immotorable for both humans and vehicles.
Ibrahim stated that there are plans to turn the lagoon into a tourist site as a way of promoting tourism in the region.
“The lagoon can be turned into a tourist centre to attract investors and foreigners to visit thus creating jobs and promoting tourism,” Ibrahim started.
He however called on the Assembly to consider investing the 3million Euros received by the European Union in improving and boosting tourism in the region.
