A looming health and flooding crisis is emerging in the Tema Heavy Industrial Area within the Tema Metropolis, following the encroachment of a wetland that serves as a major sewer system for the area by unidentified developers.
Citi News investigations have uncovered ongoing construction activity on the site, which lies close to the Tema Lube Oil Company.
Concrete walls have been erected directly over waste pipelines that convey sewage into the Chemu Lagoon, effectively obstructing the natural flow of waste.
This development has significantly worsened sewage management in surrounding communities, raising fears of a potential public health emergency as the disruptions have led to sewage overflows.
Further findings reveal that a designated water retention area has been filled with concrete by the alleged encroacher, posing a serious flooding risk, especially during the rainy season.
The seemingly unauthorised construction, believed to be an industrial facility, has been ongoing for the past two months, with no visible intervention from the Tema Metropolitan Assembly (TMA), according to sources.
Preliminary assessments suggest multiple breaches of the country’s land-use and environmental laws.
These include provisions under the Land Use and Spatial Planning Act, 2016 (Act 925), specifically Section 117 on the prohibition of development without a permit; Section 121 on unauthorised development within community right-of-way spaces; and Section 120 on the abatement of nuisance. Possible violations of the Ghana Hydrological Authority Act, 2022 (Act 1085), have also been cited.
Additionally, the development appears to contravene the Tema Metropolitan Assembly (TMA) Bye-Laws, 2025, particularly Section 17, which prescribes sanctions for constructing buildings over sewerage infrastructure.
