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Stop burning and plant trees-Chigabatia
Zebilla (U/E), Sept 28, Ghanadot/GNA - Mrs. Agnes Chigabatia,
Upper East Deputy Regional Minister on Thursday called on
people of the Region to avoid bush burning and plant trees
on large scale as a long-term measure to forestall future
flood.
She attributed the recent flood to poor environmental
practices, which had led to the silting up of rivers, poor
vegetative cover and soil that could not absorb water
properly.
Mrs Chigabatia said this during the celebration of the
Region's Environment Day at Zebilla, Bawku West District
which was under theme, "rising temperature - a cause for
environmental concern".
She condemned indiscriminate felling of trees for charcoal
and fuel wood, bush burning and bad farming practices that
all contribute to degrade the environment.
She noted that improving the environment was an important
factor to development and poverty reduction and urged all
agents of development in the Region to adopt healthy
environmental practices as an integral part of all
interventions.
"If we do not take carefully planned and sustained measures
to manage our environment, very little will be gained from
the numerous interventions by government to reduce poverty
in our communities, we cannot afford to win the war over
poverty without preserving our environment", she said.
Omahene Kwaku Boateng, Senior Programme Officer,
Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), appealed to Municipal
and District Assemblies to ensure that their projects were
environmentally friendly and trees planted around all the
buildings that they put up.
"Assemblies should not only concern themselves with the
provision of infrastructure, environmental implications of
such infrastructures should also engage their attention", he
said.
He said the EPA in collaboration with elders in some
communities had done extensive education on the need to
avoid bush burning and the people had accepted to levy
anyone who floats that agreement.
He said the Agency was targeting schools with their tree
planting programmes and had distributed over 4,000 seedlings
to 50 first and second cycle institutions.
Various species of tree seedlings were planted around
department buildings and more given to individuals to plan
in their homes and farms.
GNA
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