By Vera Bekoe
Kumasi, March 28, GNA – Farmers have been urged to take precautionary measures in setting out fires to help prevent bushfire outbreaks.
Mr Thomas Kwabena Bonsu, Executive Director of Fire and Bush Burning Prevention Advocacy, a Kumasi-based fire prevention organization, who made the call, said the current weather pattern made it imperative for Ghanaians, especially farmers, to be very careful in the handling of fires.
He said that even though there seemed to be rain in some parts of the country, the continued high temperatures resulting from the heat waves being experienced posed a significant challenge for farming activities this year.
These were contained in a statement issued in Kumasi to highlight some of the warnings released by the Ghana Meteorological Agency (GMet) on the current weather conditions in the country.
According to Mr Bonsu, Gmet had urged the public to prepare for scorching weather conditions as high temperatures are set to rise significantly in the coming days.
He said the current weather in Ghana was already hot, with the harmattan season contributing to elevated temperatures.
He pointed out that factors that contributed to bushfires were burning for agricultural purposes, hunting, smoking and cooking on farms.
Mr Bonsu said it was important that farmers took the caution by the Gmet very seriously and took precautionary measures to prevent bushfires, which would destroy their farms and those of others.
He called for public support in the public education campaign programmes to help sensitize the people on the need to desist from acts that could cause fires both in the homes and bushes.
GNA