Lake Bosomtwe Under Threat

The only natural lake in Ghana and the largest in West Africa, Lake Bosomtwe risk being de-listed as biosphere reserve by the UNESCO following the indiscriminate encroachment of the buffer zone. A private developer has cleared all the trees planted to protect the Lake by the Manhyia Palace and some NGOs in environment

despite bye-laws banning any activity within the buffer zone. Situated in the Ashanti region, the Lake is one of the most most important tourist sites in the region and acclaimed as the sea of Ashanti. But efforts to protect the Lake from shrinking and pollution appears to be going down the drain. Hundreds of the trees planted to

along the banks of the Lake at Pipie, one of the Lake communities, have been cut down indiscriminately. The sponging areas where fishes lay eggs for reproduction have also been destroyed by the developer. Vegetation has been taken around the immediate peripheral of the lake. It means that there is a lot of carbon that we have

lost into the atmosphere exacerbating the issue of the climate. The destruction of the sponging area for the fishes would also reduce the productive capacity of the lake, the national director of the Arocha Ghana, Dr Seth Appiah-Kubi said. Dr Appiah-Kubi fears Lake Bosomtwe may shrink if the destroying of the trees is not stopped

immediately. If the peripherals are removed like this, the Lake will shrink. We have Lakes that are dying around the world and we should not wait for that to happen to our only Lake, he stressed. Queenmother of Pipie, Nana Akuamoah Boatemaa wants Asantehene to intervene in protecting and preserving the Lake. We plead with the

Asantehene to come to our aid. All the trees he gave us to plant and nurture have been destroyed by a private developer. If nothing is being done to stop the private developer from further destroying the trees here, the community will not involve itself in any tree planting exercise along the bank of the Lake, she noted. District

Chief Executive of Bosomtwe, Joseph Kwesi Asuming warned sanction would be meted out to anyone who trespass on the buffer zone and Per our bye-laws, 100 meters from the bank of the Lake is a no-go area so the private developer clearly trespassed. He has currently been handed over to the police for prosecution and we

need to protect the Lake and whoever flouts the laws would be made to face the law Residents of Pipie have vowed not to allow any private developer from further destroying the trees planted along the Lake. Arocha Ghana, conservation oriented organization intends to replant trees at the degraded area to protect the Lake.