The Fosu lagoon within the Cape Coast metropolis will soon receive a facelift. This will include dredging and cleaning of the Lagoon as well as its surroundings.
The Public Relations Officer for the Cape Coast Metropolitan Assembly, Richmond Yeboah, disclosed this on ATLFM’s Biribi Soronko programme last Saturday.
The exercise which is expected to last three months is a collaborative exercise between the Cape Coast Metropolitan Assembly and the Association of Concerned Cape Coast Citizens.
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Mr Yeboah explained the exercise had become necessary due to the reduced activity in the wake of the Covid-19 pandemic the opportunity will be used to attend to the lagoon.
He said, “there seems to be low level of activities on the Fosu Lagoon and hence, the Cape Coast Metropolitan Assembly will join the Association of Concerned Cape Coast Citizens and Residents to dredge and clean the lagoon,”
Just like many lagoons in Ghana, Fosu Lagoon plays an important role in the socio-economic activities of the people of Cape Coast and its surrounding communities particularly for fishermen. Adding to the threat of the lagoon is high levels of plastic waste and metal pollution.
The lagoon also plays a significant role in the annual Fetu Festival of the people of Cape Coast. In the lead-up to the annual festival, the lagoon is closed for fishing for several weeks to honour the ancestors and the ‘lagoon god’.
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Several traditional rituals are performed on the banks of the lagoon during the week-long festival, culminating in the final rituals by the Paramount Chief of the Cape Coast, which marks the reopening of the lagoon for use by the people.
The lagoon has also played host to the age old Afahye regatta featuring some Asafo companies (traditional warriors).
However, over the years, the Fosu lagoon has remained polluted with varied waste materials and as a result has contributed to the reduction of its economic value.
The PRO of the Cape Coast Metropolitan Assembly noted that some restrictions will soon be imposed on any activity on the lagoon until the exercise is completed.
There is currently an ongoing collaboration between the City of Bonn and Cape Coast Metropolitan Assembly (CCMA) in the restoration of the Fosu Lagoon. This encompassing environmental project is part of the subsidy programme for communal climate protection and adjustment measures (FKKP) in the frame of the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development programme.
Source: Pouliwe Nyodi/ATL FM NEWS
