Serious Environmental Degredation in Central Gonja

Dear Editor,

Please grant me some space in your esteemed paper to express my concern about the alarming rate of deforestation going in the Buipe area of the Central Gonja District. My fears are amplified by the fact that, sub-chiefs in the area are condoning the illegal activity while the District Assembly seems to be at their wits end as to how to handle the situation.

I have been concerned about the issue of the environment long before the creation of the Central Gonja District. At least, I have been concerned enough to write two articles on the subject in the papers. I was therefore encouraged, when the New District Assembly decided to outlaw the burning of charcoal in the area. The ban brought some temporary respite to the environment, but was not to last long, as some sub-chiefs connive with the rampaging tree felling brigade to resume the illegal activity.

There are two major reasons why the measure by the District Assembly failed to achieve the desired impact. First of the initial assumptions upon which the Assembly’s measures were based were seriously flawed. The measure had assumed that culprits of the excessive felling of trees were essentially non-natives of the community and therefore banning those non-natives from the burning of charcoal would stop the problem. To me this was a fundamental mistake, and as later events were to show, the natives were equally guilty. The assumption was flawed because; it basically endorsed an illegality by natives. Smart as they are, the non-natives then turn round to contract the natives to fell the trees for burning of charcoal, which the natives then escort in truck loads out of town and hand them over to their non-native clients. The net effect is that the objective of curbing the degradation of the environment is left in the cold.

Another reason why the measure has failed is that, the traditional rulers do not want to co-operate with the Assembly on these measures. Apparently many of them are motivated more by their personal physiological needs, rather than by the collective interest of the people. This situation has been made worse by the failure to replace the Late Buipewura, since he departed to the village, a situation which has led to many of the sub-chiefs becoming Lords onto themselves. They go to District Assembly to issue all kinds of instructions, including claiming knowledge of charcoal which has been illegally burnt.

This is where my beef with the District Assembly begins. While I am not advocating any antagonism between the District Assembly, and the traditional rulers, I believe it is entirely possible for the Assembly to organise seminars and workshops for the chiefs, many of whom are genuinely ignorant about the impact of some of these activities on their future livelihood, so they can come to terms with the real issues. When this is done, majority of the chiefs would then understand the necessity for the Assembly’s measures. Those who deliberately would not co-operate with Assembly after such sensitisation should be handled with the contempt they deserve on the issue. Indeed, they would be ashamed to come to the Assembly either to plead for arrestees or to claim knowledge of such stuff.

Our chiefs must know that we have a lot of respect for them. But they are about to lose it all if they make us, the ordinary citizens of the place feel they do not care about our welfare. The degradation of the environment is a serious welfare issue, not only of the present generation, but more importantly of the children yet unborn. And I wish to serve notice that we are in the process of forming a coalition of concerned youth of the area, to deal with this issue seriously. We will name and shame whoever is involved. I believe that if we had had half of this number of irresponsible chiefs, two or three generations ago, there would not be a single tree left standing in Buipe.

Let’s protect the environment, because we need it.