Environmentalist calls for protection of River Tano

Techiman (Brong Ahafo), 3 Mar. '99 -

The Tano River is a great asset to the Techiman community and the Brong-Ahafo Region as a whole and care must, therefore, be taken to preserve and ensure its purity. Mr Isaac Osei, Brong-Ahafo Regional programme officer of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), made the observation in a report on his recent visit to Techiman on the reforestation project of the Tree Farmers Association of Ghana. He said the river serves Techiman and many people depend on it for their livelihood, so there is need for the Techiman district assembly and the Brong -Ahafo Region, as a whole, to safeguard and protect it. He observed that both the quality and quantity of its waters were being adversely affected through various human activities and called for a serious appraisal of the resource and formulation of the right policies and relevant recommendations for short and long-term solutions of the problems associated with the river. He said in this view, that the EPA has put forward some recommendations, which when given appropriate attention, would help to preserve and improve the status of the Tano River for the common good. Mr Osei suggested the passing of by-laws to empower the assembly to demolish all unauthorised structures within the 100- metre zone earmarked as greenbelt for the river. The banning of all farming activities along the entire bank, grazing by cattle along the banks and prosecuting all those who break laws meant to protect the environment to serve as deterrent. He said the tree farmers' association must not only be praised for their efforts but must be given logistics and financial support to sustain their good work.