"What do we use weedicides for, precisely we use it to kill plants and any living plant that you pour weedicide on dies and it does not only die. It means that little plants or seeds that are even on the ground, they are also destroyed all together….Strong winds will carry that away, water will erode the rest away and then it remains the hardcore sand or stone which cannot sustain plant life so the use of agro-chemicals are very detrimental to the environment’’.
These were the words of the Ashanti Regional Deputy Manager of the Forestry Commission, Mr. James Ware. He was speaking at the launch in Kumasi of MTN’s annual community service initiative, known as the ‘21 days of yellow care’.
During this year's programme MTN hopes to plant nine thousand trees nationwide with the support of Forestry Commission, Friends Water and River Bodies as well as Zoomlion Ghana Limited.
Why has this become necessary?
Worldwide, the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization estimates that more than 130 thousand square kilometers of the world’s forest are lost annually to deforestation.
This accounts for 20 per cent of global greenhouse emissions which contribute to global warming.
Back home in Ghana, the situation is worse. Half of our 238,533 square kilometers of land is prone to disaster.
Out of 8.3 million hectares of high forest that existed in the past ten years, only 1.8 million hectares is available now. The country loses 70,000 of its forest cover annually.
The lost has been attributed to bad farming practices such as the use of use of agriculture chemicals, bush fires, logging, and mining among others.
At this rate, Ghana is definitely on the brink of an environmental disaster if nothing is done to curb the rapid deforestation and degradation of the environment, and this must prompt all Ghanaians to change our attitudes towards the environment.
At this rate, Ghana is definitely on the brink of an environmental disaster if nothing is done to curb the rapid deforestation and degradation of the environment, and this must prompt all Ghanaians to change our attitudes towards the environment.
While I join the Kumasi Metro Chief Executive, Samuel Sarpong, to commend MTN staff for their volunteerism, I entreat all of us to support the green revolution and join the tree planting exercise when it reaches our doorsteps.
God bless our homeland Ghana.
Think green, stay safe!
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