An environmental NGO, A Rocha Ghana has warned of Ghana losing Lake Bosomtwe in 2035 if strategic measures are not put in place to conserve it.
A Rocha Ghana is calling on authorities to be proactive and help preserve the lake which is receding.
The Programmes Manager of A Rocha Ghana, Prosper Kwame Antwi, in an interview with Citi News, admitted that the lake is shrinking hence the need for collaborative efforts by stakeholders to preserve the only natural lake in Ghana.
“There is a study that is currently telling us that by 2035 if we are not careful we will be losing the lake. I can personally testify that around 2012 we did a project and marked out places around Bosomtwe. We have planted key pillaring… Now the lake has receded about a meter or two which is telling us that the lake is shrinking.”
The Queen Mother of Pipie, one of the communities around the Lake, is worried about the rate of deforestation and encroachment closer to the lake and has called on the government and the Asantehene to put measures in place to preserve it.
In relation to protecting the lake, the District Chief Executive for Bosomtwe, Joseph Kwesi Asumen explained that the assembly has developed by-laws to tackle activities affecting the lake.
“We have been able to get some by-laws that are enforceable in court thus they have been gazetted. What we have done is to leave some parameters as a buffer zone [security zone] for nobody to do anything so as to preserve the lake. Anybody who goes there will face the sanctions prescribed by the by-laws.”
He added that “we have gotten somebody [a culprit] and the police are now investigating the case. We hope that it will end in court to serve as a deterrent to others who might want to do the same to the lake. I will advise everybody to be complaint and preserve the lake. It is a tourist site and priceless.”
About Lake Bosomtwe
Lake Bosomtwe is the only natural lake in Ghana. It is situated within an ancient impact crater that is about 10.5 kilometres (6.5 mi) in diameter. It is about 30 km (19 mi) south-east of Kumasi the capital of Ashanti and is a popular recreational area.
There are about 30 villages near Lake Bosumtwe, with a combined population of about 70,000. The most popular amongst the villages where tourists usually settle is Abono.
