Mr. Evans Osei-Worae, Nkoranza Municipal Coordinator of the National Disaster Management Organisation (NADMO) has urged residents in the Municipality to prevent domestic and bushfire outbreaks this harmattan season.

He emphasized the need for farmers to prepare fire belts around their farms to protect economic trees like cashew, cocoa, coffee and oil palm as well as food crops from being destroyed by bush fires.

Mr. Osei-Worae who was speaking to the Ghana News Agency (GNA) at Nkoranza in the Brong-Ahafo Region, said the harmattan season had started strongly and therefore advised people in farming communities to stop engaging in activities that could cause fire outbreaks.

He stressed that the Municipal Assembly’s ban on group hunting particularly during the harmattan season was still in force and therefore warned that offenders would be dealt with according to the full rigour of the law.

The Municipal NADMO Coordinator called on the Organisation’s Zonal Coordinators to be visiting their areas of operations to remind the people of the causes and effects of bush-burning as a form of awareness creation in the Municipality.

Mr. Osei-Worae also deplored the negative health practices whereby some people living along river banks used poisonous chemicals for fishing, warning that anybody caught in that diabolical act would be reported to the Police for arrest and prosecution in the court of law.

He mentioned Ayerede, Asuano, Pruso, Nyinase and Kwafre as notable places of river pollution in the Municipality and advised the people to desist from that unacceptable practice to avoid Police arrest and prosecution and also to ensure their quality health and well-being

Mr. Osei-Worae appealed to traditional/religious leaders, Assembly /Unit Committee members, teachers and other opinion leaders to assist in the campaign against the bushfire menace to protect lives and properties in the Municipality.