By Eunice Tekie Tei
Hweehwee (E/R), Nov. 23, GNA – The Presbyterian Church of Ghana, Kwahu Presbytery, in collaboration with the Department of Ecumenical and Social Relations (ESR), has launched a sensitization campaign to educate Hweehwee community members on bushfire prevention during the harmattan season.
The programme, which was organised in collaboration with the Kwahu East District Fire Office and the Presbyterian Church of Ghana, targeted farmers, students, traditional authorities, and town members, who were educated on the causes, effects, and prevention of bushfires.
During a presentation, Assistant Divisional Officer Grade II (ADO II) Nicholas Nettey, who also serves as the Rural Fire Coordinator, stated that the programme was held on a regular basis to educate and raise awareness about the consequences of bushfires in communities, particularly farming areas.
He said hunters were the primary cause of bushfires in most areas and urged people to refrain from doing so to safeguard the ecosystem.
He added that bushfires may harm the plants, water sources, climate, and cause environmental degradation, which they must avoid.
He also remarked that the Ghana National Fire Service was committed to educating the public on the prevention of fire breakouts in homes, forests, and farms to keep people safe and prevent disasters from occurring.
ADO II Nettey urged traditional authorities and other law enforcement agencies to ensure that perpetrators were sanctioned as the law required to serve as a deterrent to others who may be involved in causing bushfires in forests.
He advised community members, particularly farmers, to create fire belts on their farms to prevent bushfires during the dry season.
He expressed the hope that with the education provided by the Kwahu East Fire Service and the Kwahu Presbytery, fire outbreaks in the districts would be reduced this year.
He stated that plans were underway to form fire volunteer groups in some communities to monitor the activities of farmers and residents to avoid disaster.
ADO II Nettey pledged that the District Fire Office would expand its awareness creation to many areas in the Kwahu East District and reach out to the vulnerable.
Rev. Kennedy Twum- Berimah, the Kwahu Obo District Pastor of the Presbyterian Church of Ghana and the Director of the ESR Department, said the institution had been working on this programme in the district for several years and it was part of their collective social responsibility.
He thanked the District Fire Office for their assistance with the initiative and promised to keep raising awareness in the district to help address the issue of fire breakouts.
The Hweehwee Adehyehene, Nana Kofi Ankomah, expressed gratitude for the education and promised to assist law enforcement in preventing fire outbreaks.
GNA