ENVIRONMENT

Anti-Bush fire Prevention campaign kick-starts in Offinso North
The Offinso North in the Ashanti Region has over the years been experiencing a number of bush fires as a result of lack of proper fire protection and the alarming rate of hunting expenditure in most parts of the district which has caused greater destruction to most farm produces, especially cash crops which fetches chunk of foreign exchange to the country.

Date Created : 1/9/2018 6:20:17 AM : Story Author : thenewcrusadingguideonline.com

Owing to that, a team of thirty men and women for anti-bush fire prevention campaign for 2017-2018 for the Offinso North District has been officially inaugurated with a durbar of chiefs, elders, opinion leaders and assembly members as well as the public at Nkenkoaso.

The OffinsoNorth Fire Officer, D.O.II Mr. Samuel Adjetey, in an address disclosed that the effects of bush fire on rural livelihoods and on the ecosystem in Ghana are increasingly becoming extensive and damaging that it has been difficult to reduce or completely eliminate bushfires.

He noted that although bushfires have played some part in agriculture production and in acceleration environmental degradation especially in the fragile savanna ecosystem, this issue has largely been ignored in decisions affecting the environment compared to tropical deforestation and desertification which have received considerable attention in environmental discussions.

He said there were several factors which caused bushfire and villagers have good reasons for using fire, however some of these fires if not properly controlled end up in causing serious damage. He reiterated that fire is widely accepted through the country as being a valuable tool in the management of natural vegetation, agriculture including livestock production and other land use system.

The District Fire Commander hinted further that Ghana experienced serious bush fires during the catastrophic Sahelian drought (1973-74) and again in the period (1983-84).

The District Chief Executive for the area, David Kwesi Boakye Asare, in his address indicated that the greatest enemy of the farmer is bushfire, since it’s the only agent which can cause destruction to farms and its produces within a twinkle of an eye.

Mr. Boakye Asare hinted that it is difficult to control when fire is detected on a farm unlike pests and diseases can be detected and controlled, due to this the Assembly has tasked relevant stakeholders being the fire service and National Disaster Management Organization (NADMO) to activate all the fire volunteers in the entire district.

He disclosed that, the assembly procured 120 wellington boots, over 300 cutlass to be distributed to over 1100 fire volunteers through the district of which according to him, in the coming with cards which will go a long way to reduce if not eliminate bushfires in the district.

The DCE assured the anti-bushfire volunteers about the assembly's commitment of providing the needed logistics which will empower them to prevent bush fires from causing destruction to our farms, and urged them not to hesitate to report people who cause bush fires to the police.

He noted that he and his effective MP, Mr Augustine Collins Ntim are very much abreast of the challenges affecting the fire services in the district notably the fire tender which they are working very hard to secure the fire service one.

He appealed to the good people of Offinso North to support the Anti-Bush fire volunteers to deliver on their mandate for 'Bush fire free year" since firefighting involves all and sundry.

The Member of Parliament for Offinso North, Mr. Augustine Collins Ntim also attributed the rate of bushfires within the district and the nation at large to hunting and lack of frequent fire education to the public.

He noted that the anti-bushfire prevention volunteers who have been duly inaugurated have a core duty to deliver by helping to curtail the rampant bushfires within the district and will need the support of all and sundry to discharge.

He hinted that the government will from January 2018 engage more youth into agriculture in all the 216 MMDAs across the country which will be in a data base form will also boost planting for food and jobs policy intervention.

Mr. Augustine Collins Ntim who doubles as the deputy Minister for Local Government and Rural Development disclosed that government has secured Euro 80,000 for the boosting of cashew production in the Offinso North District.