Bishop Naameh bemoans wanton destruction of fertile lands
The Most Reverend Philip Naameh, the President of the Ghana Catholic Bishops Conference has expressed concern about the wanton destruction of fertile lands through mining.
He therefore called for the need for Ghanaians to reconcile with nature by protecting the environment for the future generation.
The Most Rev. Naameh who is also the Archbishop of Tamale said this during the 11th biennial grand convention of the Knights of St. John International and Ladies Auxiliary (KSJI) at Nyankpala.
The five-day programme was on the theme: “Reconciling nature and man; the role of the Knights of St. John International and Ladies Auxiliary” and was meant to provide a platform for discussions on the past and to brainstorm for success.
The Most Rev. Naameh tasked Ghanaians to practise agriculture in a way that would not disturb the environment and stressed the need to avoid mismanaging the country’s natural resources.
He called on the church and other religious leaders to encourage political groups to help fight the environmental degradation especially the illegal mining.
Mr Salifu Saeed, the Northern Regional Minister in a speech read on his behalf said rain forests were destroyed because of the wanton cutting of trees for firewood while the greed of mankind led to the pollution of water bodies.
He lamented on the threats of Galamsey to life of fishes and other aquatic lives and called on all stakeholders to join in the fight against small-scale mining.
Mr Saeed appealed to Ghanaians to cultivate the habit of tree planting as a way of fighting the environmental degradation.
Prof Gabriel Ayum Teye, the Vice Chancellor of the University for Development Studies (UDS) said Ghanaians had individual roles to play as a way of protecting the environment.
He stated that, most natural resources would be lost in some years to come if measures were not put in place to protect nature against social security.
He also expressed concern about fuel filing stations springing up along the Tamale-Nyankpala road at closed interval, which was a recipe for disaster if intervention measures were not taken.
Source: GNA