Fear of snake bite- cause for starting bush fires

Manwe (Upper West) 16 Nov. '98

The fear of snake bites has been identified as one of the reasons for bush burning in the three northern regions, a forum on anti-bush fires at Manwe in the Wa district held on Saturday has revealed. The participants at the forum, organised by the Wa district office of the Ghana National Fire Service (GNFS), said farmers' fear of being bitten by snakes makes them to burn the bush with the belief to reduce the snake population. They were of the opinion that the availability farm boots and gloves at very cheap prices would help minimise the incidence of bush fires in the area. Establishing a shoe factory in Northern Ghana to produce farm boots and gloves will also help to reduce bush fire. The forum, the first in the series to be organised this dry season is aimed at educating the people on the harmful effect of bush fires on the environment. It is also to collate views from the general public as to how to stop bush fires. Participants, mainly farmers and sheanut pickers, said they burn the bush not only for the purpose of game but also to help kill poisonous snakes. They appealed to the government to empower traditional rulers to use traditional and customary laws on starting bush fires and wanton destruction of the environment. The forum recalled the past when traditional rulers used their traditional powers to impose fines on those who destroyed the environment but regretted that because of fear of court action they can no longer exercise such powers.