BUSH FIRES COST NATION $210 MILLION ANNUALLY (Page 28)

13/12/2008
Story: Mary Mensah
The Minister of State for the Interior, Nana Obiri Boahen, has stated that bush fires cost the nation a whopping US$210 million every year.
This, he said, was an equivalent to about three per cent of the National Gross Domestic Product (GDP).
Launching the 2008/2009 National Bush Fire Prevention Campaign, which was under the theme; ‘Prevent bush fires and save the environment”, at the Fire Academy and Training School in Accra , the minister said an estimated amount of approximately 65,000 hectares representing about three per cent of land was lost annually through human activities including mining and bush fires.
He said this year alone, a total of 88 bush fires were officially recorded and this cost the nation a lot of money.
The minister announced that this year the government has sourced for loans of $15 million and over $49 million from India and the USA respectively to procure fire tenders and they are expected to arrive in the country by next year.
Nana Boahen said since the early 1980s bush fires have become an annual ritual in the country particularly during the harmattan period, consuming large tracts of forest and farmlands bringing in its wake devastating destruction of crops and animals.
He said, the depletion of the forest cover aggravated through bush fires,was drying up water bodies and the drop in the water level of the Akosombo dam which led to the power rationing exercise in the country, was a direct result of this phenomenon.
He said the fire volunteer concept has proven to be the most effective way of dealing with fire disasters and noted that the Ghana National Fire Service has trained 2775 volunteers over the past year, bringing the number of volunteers to 22,000.
The Chief Fire officer, Mr Felix K. Ferkah, noted that to succeed in the fight against bush fires, metropolitan, municipal and district assemblies have a huge role to play.
Mr Ferkah called for the amendment of PNDC law 229 on prevention and control of bush fires which has been in existence for over two decades and said the fine of Gh¢2.00 and GH¢10 which the law prescribes cannot be enough deterrent to offenders.