VRA DONATES SEEDLINGS FOR PLANTING ALONG RIVERS (PAGE 43, JUNE 21, 2010)

Story & picture: Vincent Amenuveve, Tamale
THE Volta River Authority (VRA) has donated 700 Mahogany seedlings to the Northern Regional Co-ordinating Council (RCC) for planting along river banks in three districts in the region.
The gesture is part of the VRA’s efforts to support the presidential special awareness of sanitation in the region.
The seedlings are to be planted in the Central Gonja, Yendi and Saboba Districts to check erosion along water bodies.
Presenting the seedlings, the Principal Natural Resources Officer of the VRA, Mr George Bamfour Morris, stated that unless something urgent was done to prevent indiscriminate felling of trees along river banks, the Akosombo Dam might face crisis in the near future.
He stated that sand particles and filth which engulfed water bodies due to human activity was not good enough for the turbines that turn to generate power.
Mr Morris therefore stressed the need for rigid enforcement of bye-laws to protect the country’s water bodies, saying: “Communities must also be educated to plant more trees to protect our water resources.”
The Northern Regional Minister, Mr Moses Magbengba, who received the seedlings, called for intensive education campaign against indiscriminate tree felling and sand winning along river banks.
The Regional Co-ordinator of the President’s sanitation campaign, Mr Justice Joshua Dawuni, thanked the VRA for the support.
He bemoaned the rapid depletion of forest cover along river banks as a result of farming activities and appealed to other public-spirited organisations to support the campaign to protect water bodies.

* Picture: Mr Justice Dawuni (in smock), Mr George Morris (in black suit, middle) and Mr Moses Magbenba (left), jointly inspecting the 700 seedlings donated by the VRA.