The Member of Parliament (MP) for the Mpraeso Constituency and Deputy Ranking Member of the Public Accounts Committee of Parliament (PAC), Davis Ansah Opoku, has called on the government to relocate the Weija tollbooth immediately.
He observed that pollution from human activities that take place along the tollbooth adversely affects the lake.
He was speaking at the Public Accounts hearing on Thursday, July 8, 2021, when the Minister of Roads and Highways, Kwesi Amoako Atta, and his deputies appeared before the committee.
The Mpraeso legislator said that “the area is a buffer zone created to protect the Weija Lake and was compulsorily acquired by the Republic of Ghana as a no-go area. However, the Weija tollbooth has attracted structures including mechanical garages and carports, which has attracted massive commercial and trading activities that pollute the lake.”
Mr. Opoku Ansah, who also serves as a member of the Works & Housing Committee of Parliament, said: “The tollbooth and the explosion of trading activities are therefore not compatible with the water resources conservation and production of treated water for communities including Accra.”
“Weija Dam serves 60% of the population of Accra and several communities in the Central Region. The continuous pollution of the river body is a looming danger for the state.”
The Minister for Roads & Highways, Mr. Amoako-Atta, admitted that the relocation of the tollbooth is necessary, and reiterated the importance of the Weija Dam to the people living in Accra and some parts of the Central Region.
He thus assured that the necessary action would be taken to ensure that the Weija Dam is protected.
“I couldn’t agree with you better on this suggestion because we all know the importance of the Weija Dam because without it those of us in Accra will not survive. That is our point of drawing water, and nothing should be done to put the lives of all of us at risk.”
“Some tollbooths are being relocated depending on the circumstances relating to them, and we take pragmatic decisions in connection to these tollbooths. So we are considering relocating that tollbooth and the necessary action will be taken,” the minister added.