The Member of Parliament for Ningo Prampram Constituency, Mr Enoch Teye Mensah, has appealed to the Tema Metropolitan Assembly (TMA) to ensure that activities of industries in the metropolis did not pose environmental problems to residents.
"All environmental problems in the metropolis are a result of inaction between the TMA and the Tema Development Corporation (TDC),"Mr Mensah stated.
He said even though it is the duty of the two institutions especially TMA to ensure that activities of these industries fall within the rules; they have allowed their bad practices to affect the environment particularly the Chemu lagoon.
He made the call in Tema during a recent working visit by members of the Parliamentary Select Committee on Mines and Energy to the Tema Oil Refinery (TOR).
The Ningo-Prampram MP said the Chemu lagoon has lost its aquatic life due to the inability of the authorities to properly channel flood water into the sea as well as their persistent issuance of building permits to organizations to construct buildings at the wetlands near the lagoon.
Chemu lagoon, which used to be a source of livelihood for the residents of Tema Manhean, can no longer support aquatic life, as it as been polluted with effluents from the numerous industries located in the metropolis.
Mr Mensah further urged the TMA to give back revenue collected from trade activities in the metropolis to the people, by making sure that good environmental practices are observed, and the lagoon is de-silted to give the residents a source of livelihood.
The management team of TOR said it was unfortunate that the refinery is often blamed for the state of the lagoon, even though most industries in the metropolis discharge their effluents into it.
The team said the refinery was deliberating with the TMA to bring all stakeholders together to find a solution to the pollution of the lagoon as well as de-silt it.