While many people have been left homeless and their properties destroyed, the situation is unlikely to change after National Environment Management Authority(NEMA) boss Akankwasah Barirega came out to defend the activities of the environment body.
During a weekly presser, Executive Director Akankwasah Barirega clarified that the ongoing operation is lawful and aimed at protecting the environment.
“If nothing is done, we might not survive as a human race. These evictions are about saving ourselves from the danger that awaits us. We don’t want to wait to lose lives, yet we can save them,” he stated in an interview.
However, many people are concerned about NEMA’s activities, blaming the environmental body for what they think is a selective application of the law. The victims of the NEMA campaign especially the poor people believe the operation is aimed to target them and spare the rich whose properties have not been destroyed.
On that matter, Mr. Akankwasah explained that many people don’t take the time to know and differentiate between a lakeshore and a wetland hence the ongoing confusion about why NEMA is sparing some properties and developments.
“People are confusing lakeshores and wetlands. Sometimes a lakeshore can be a wetland. In other cases, a lakeshore can be a dry land like a beach. It also depends on the type of lakeshore. The lakeshore worldwide are used for recreation facilities,” he said.
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