Deputy Chief Executive Officer of the Forestry Commission, Elikem Kotoko, has called for the uncompromising demolition of illegal structures obstructing waterways, arguing that no political consideration should outweigh the need to protect lives from future flooding.
Kotoko backed the government’s decision to deploy the Ghana Armed Forces to spearhead post-flood recovery efforts, describing the intervention as necessary while insisting that authorities must also confront the root causes of the recurring disaster.
He said the devastating June 29 floods, which claimed more than 13 lives and affected over 7,000 households, should serve as a turning point in enforcing planning and environmental regulations across the country.
“I commend the need for the military to come in to do this. I expect a diligent job to be done, and I expect that moving forward this has given us a lot of lessons that it should not happen again,” he said.
Kotoko stressed that individuals who have illegally erected structures on waterways or undertaken activities contrary to environmental and planning laws must be held accountable without fear or favour.
He further dismissed concerns that demolishing unauthorised structures could attract political backlash, insisting that protecting human lives should take precedence over electoral considerations.
“Others will again say there’s a political consequence for these and all of that. There’s no greater political consequence than losing the lives of people, and therefore there’s a need for us to sit up and make sure we fight this,” Kotoko added.
His comments come as the Ghana Armed Forces prepares to lead a nationwide post-flood recovery and cleanup exercise, with authorities indicating that structures illegally occupying waterways and drainage reservations could be removed as part of the operation.
Briefing the public on Friday, July 3, Director General of Joint Operations of the Ghana Armed Forces, Brigadier General Forster Okae-Yeboah, said the military had been tasked with coordinating the exercise under a broader government flood mitigation programme aimed at restoring affected communities and preventing future disasters.
