To the Ga people, the lagoon is a goddess. Naa Korle, the deity of Korle Lagoon, is one of the most important spirits of Accra, and traditional rites are performed in her honour. To environmental scientists, the same lagoon has often been described as one of the most polluted bodies of water on earth. Both descriptions have been true at once.
Where it is
Korle Lagoon lies in central Accra, between Korle Gonno, Agbogbloshie and the area near Korle Bu Teaching Hospital. It is fed by the Odaw River and connects to the Gulf of Guinea.
Naa Korle
In Ga tradition, Naa Korle is a powerful deity associated with the lagoon. Priests perform rites connected to her, including during the Homowo season. Korle Bu, the hospital, takes its name from the lagoon and is often translated as “the valley of the Korle lagoon”.
How it became polluted
As Accra grew, the Odaw River and its tributaries carried sewage, industrial waste and solid rubbish into the lagoon. Informal settlements, markets and scrap yards developed along its banks. Plastic waste, especially sachets and bottles, clogged the water.
Agbogbloshie
The Agbogbloshie scrap yard, next to the lagoon, became internationally known for the burning of electronic waste to extract metals. Smoke and chemicals added to the pollution. The government demolished the scrap yard in 2021.
Restoration
The Korle Lagoon Ecological Restoration Project, begun in the early 2000s, aimed to dredge the lagoon, improve drainage and restore its link with the sea. Some dredging and channel works were completed, but the lagoon refilled with waste and silt.
Floods
Because the lagoon is the outlet for the Odaw basin, its condition affects flooding across central Accra. When the lagoon and drains are blocked, rainwater backs up into the city.
Fishing
Older residents remember fishing in the lagoon. Pollution killed most of the fish, and the fishing culture associated with Korle disappeared.
Recent efforts
Clean-up exercises and dredging of the Odaw continue periodically, and city authorities have discussed new sanitation projects. Lasting improvement depends on stopping waste at its source upstream.
Why it matters
Korle Lagoon is a measure of how Accra treats its water. A cleaner lagoon would mean fewer floods, less disease and the revival of a sacred place.
Naa Korle has watched her lagoon turn black. Restoring it would honour both the goddess and the city that grew up around her.
