Mpraeso, Jan. 10, GNA - The Kwahu South District Assembly has presented 40 bicycles and radio sets worth 32 million cedis to a 40-member Fire Volunteer Monitoring Team to help check the havoc of the annual bush fires which devastate the vegetation in certain parts of the country during the dry season.

The volunteers will use the bicycle to patrol 19 bush fire prone areas on specified routes and send messages to bush fire volunteers in the nearby communities in case of any outbreaks.

Some of the roads and routes include Kwahu Tafo-Adawso, Adawso-Nketepa, Abene-Hwehwee, Abetifi-Abene, Hweehwee-Sempoa, Nteso-Ankoma and Ankoma-Oframase.

Presenting the bicycles and the radio sets at Mpraeso on Monday, the District Chief Executive, Mr Raymond Osafo Djan, noted with concern that annual bush fires during the dry season caused extensive damage to the vegetation, economic trees, food crops, animals and soil fertility. He urged the volunteers to use the facilities to combat the bush fires to save the vegetation.

Mr Djan announced that any person, including the volunteers, who would provide the Assembly with information on any person who set bush fire, would be rewarded with 500,000 cedis while a member of the team would receive an allowance of 250,000 cedis each for a six-week period. The DCE advised them to work hard and co-operate with the people in the various communities to ensure the success of the programme. The volunteers appealed for the supply of water containers, Wellington boots, cutlasses and first aid kit to enhance their performance.

Warrant Officer Class One (Rtd.) Evans Abankwa, The District Co-ordinator of the National Disaster Management Organization (NADMO), assured the volunteers that they would be given the needed assistance and co-operation to prevent bush fires in the district. 10 Jan. 05