The Upper East Regional Minister has disclosed that government is in the process of rehabilitating the Paga Crocodile Pond located in the Upper East Region.
It would be recalled that in May earlier this year, this website carried a report that focused on the horrors surrounding the state of the facility.
A visit to the site by our reporter, Moses Apiah, indicated that the shoulders of the pond were covered with plastic waste to the extent that some of the crocodiles struggled to get out of it.
Interacting with some of the tour guards regarding waste management in the area, they explained that the situation was beyond their control.
Godfred Awampaga, one of the guards, said, “we do weekly cleanup here. But the issue goes beyond cleanup. What we are requesting, which I have been to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) in the region, is a fencing cable to fence the whole area. That is in progress, so if that is done, I think the issue of plastic waste will be minimized. We feel the pains of the crocodiles because they are our ancestors but we are incapacitated.”
But in a recent interview with the Regional Minister, Stephen Yakubu, all the troubles faced by managers of the facility would be a thing of the past.
“The government is rehabilitating the Paga Crocodile Pond. If you go there now, there are contractors there to make sure that that place is put up nicely. That is the first phase. There would be a construction of walls, a place of convenience. That is being done right now,” he said.
He said plans are also underway to collaborate with the Ghana National Tourism Development Authority (GNTDA) to develop other tourist sites in the Upper East Region.
“We have taken stock of all the tourist sites in the Upper East Region. I have been talking to the Minister who is my friend and to make sure that we do more to attract people to the Upper East Region. That would also generate more funds for us.”
Source: A1radioonline.com|101.1MHz|Mark Kwasi Ahumah Smith|Ghana
