Ho, April 14, GNA- Lieutenant Colonel Emmanuel Kotia, Commanding Officer of 66 Artillery Regiment, at the Volta Barracks, Ho, on Monday said the military institution had declared the first Friday of every month environment day.

He said the day would be devoted to environmental related activities in and around the Barracks.

Lt. Col Kotia, who hinted the Ghana News Agency (GNA) about the innovation at Ho, said the Regiment had planted over 3,500 neem tree seedlings at the barracks as part of activities marking its 42-anniversary celebration.

He said the Regiment had already planted mangoe seedlings on its land and was negotiating with members of some outlying villages to enable the institution to extend the project to the communities. Lt. Col Kotia said the Regiment was committed to creating green zones around the barracks to safeguard its environment against natural and man-made disasters.

He said "We want to at least prevent excessive dusk around, minimize greenhouse effect and adverse weather effect." Lt. Col Kotia expressed concern about the degradation of the country's forests and called on stakeholders to intensify efforts aimed at protecting the environment.