A Ghanaian based environmental justice group, The Or Foundation, is highly optimistic the debris-filled Korle Lagoon in the heart of Accra can be cleared of all filth, and repurposed for recreational activities in a short span of five (5) years.
The Korle Lagoon is a body of water in Accra, the capital of Ghana. Lying immediately to the west of the city centre, it has played an important role in the city’s history. In the 1990s, it became known for its high levels of pollution.
In 1961, the Government of Ghana assumed ownership of the lagoon. It dredged the black water body and raised the level of some nearby land, to reduce the risk of flooding, then established industries on surrounding drained and reclaimed land—initially brewing and food processing, later car repairs and then electronic scrap processing at Agbogbloshie.
The black lagoon links to the Gulf of Guinea. It was fed by the Odaw River, which flows through the suburbs of Accra, its catchment area covering 60% of the city. The most important destination of stormwater runoff, the black river also became highly polluted with waste, which was discharged into the lagoon. The combination of waste from the Odaw River and industries and settlements on the shores of the black lagoon led to it being described as “one of the most polluted water bodies on earth” in 2002.
Co-Founder and Executive Director of The Or Foundation, Branson Skinner insists that although the clean Korle project may be a daunting task, it is simply not impossible. According to him, with the support of government and buy in of Ghanaian citizens, especially those living close to the Korle lagoon, it (Korle lagoon) can be made clean in a space of five (5) years.
Citing the Thames River in London as an example, he revealed the 215 miles long river was once heavily polluted with malaria being a commonplace along the river. The river Thames, he described was heavily polluted beyond the present state of the Korle lagoon “but they were able to reclaim river Thames and make it what it is now. The same can be done for the Korle lagoon,” he assured.
The Or Foundation is an environmental advocacy group working at the intersection of environmental justice, education and fashion development.
The mission of the Or Foundation is to identify and manifest alternatives to the dominant model of fashion – alternatives that bring forth ecological prosperity, as opposed to destruction, and that inspire citizens to form a relationship with fashion that extends beyond their role as consumer.
By: Joel Sanco
