Bolewura, Sarfo Kutugefeso l has began a tour to communities along the Black Volta within his traditional area to get first hand information about environmental issues in the traditional area.
The tour which he embarked on Saturday May, 1, 2021, saw the chief and a high powered delegation visited Nsunia, Tinyekura, Chache and Ntereso all in the Bole District to see for himself activities of heavy metal machines said to be in the river operating illegally and prospecting for gold.
The Chief in an address to a section of the Communities tasked them to protect the environment and asked them to report people engaged in illegal mining activities, illegal logging activities and commercial charcoal along the Black Volta to his palace for appropriate measures to be taken.
Bolewura underscored the need for all in his traditional area and the region at large to join hands in fighting against the the menace of illegal logging activities, illegal mining and burning of charcoal in commercial quantities which he said posse a threat to the sustainability of our forest reserve.
The Chief contuining his tour to communities in the Sawla-Tuna- Kalba District which falls under his jurisdiction of rule on Monday May, 3, 2021, made a stop over at Mankuma and interected with the chiefs and elders of the community.
“We usually called that place (southern part of Ghana) forest because they are a lot of trees there that is why we call it forest but why do they leave their area and come here to cut down trees to burn charcoal and do logging”, he quizzed.
He tasked all Chiefs in all their various Communities to be in the look out for people from different places in their communities who are involved in this commercial charcoal burning and wood loging and let them go to where they are from because that is where there are trees(south) and you don’t have any reason to leave south and come here in the name of commercial charcoal burning .
The chief warned that if you are a chief and you are directly involved in any of these acts as a first offender he will suspend you but if you’re caught again then you are distooled.
“Now I want to tell everybody that is involved in this commercial charcoal business that after eight days ,he will end this whole business of charcoal burning and so if you’re in the bush burning charcoal know that after eight days you will not be able to transport this them”, he added.
The Chief continued his tour today to Sawla, Tuna, Nakwabi, Nahari, Kunfugsi, Kalba, Saru, Garkuon, Kulbi and Blema and was accompanied accompanied by Duwa Wura, Tingawura, Chanchirewura, Nbonwuras, the Secretary to the chief and the security.
Bolewura had interactions with the chiefs and people of each community visited and preached to them the need to protect the environment by putting a stop to burning of charcoal in commercial quantities, illegal logging activities and illegal mining in the area.
Speaking to chief and elders at Sawla,he said when he was young they used to burn charcoal in basins and also sell dry firewood but that one was not causing any harm to our environment, what they are only preaching against now is that commercial charcoal burning where they are loaded in thousands on trucks to the Southern part for sale and hence causing massive destruction to the environment
He then again encourages Sawlawura, Tunawura and all the other chiefs in the Sawla- Tuna- kalba district to form a task force that will enforce that this ban is a enforce exactly by 10th of May,2021.
He also stated that, there are three things he is fighting together with the government which included illegal mining, illegal logging of trees and commercial charcoal burning.
All should put a stop to this and by 10th May, 2021 if you are caught in any of these illegal activities thus, possessing charcoal or wood would be seized and sold at a cheap price to anybody interested in buying them.
Welcoming Bolewura and his delegation to Nakwabi, the chief of Nakwabi reiterated the need to protect endangered species like the Shea tree and “dawadawa” for their numerous economic benefits and demonstrated readiness to support Bolewura in ensuring that these illegal activities are ban in the area and the region at large.
All other communities the chief visited has to do with the propagation of the message on the need to protect our vegetation cover.
Source: yagbonradioonline
