Adopt practices that will reduce pollution of the environment – Hydrologist advice

Mr Aaron Aduna, a Hydrologist has reiterated the need for Ghanaians to adopt practices that will reduce pollution of the environment and help and improve vegetative cover.He said the continuous degradation and experience of recent hot weather conditions are reflections of people's actions which more interventions are needed to reduce such weather conditions to continue to persist.Mr Aduna made this call in an interview with the Ghana News Agency in Bolgatanga in the Upper East Region.He said the quest for land use either through expansion for urbanization and increasing population and increasing agricultural production was high which he indicated also had implications that led to loss of vegetative cover and as a result impacted negatively on the environment.He said problems such as erosion which resulted in the siltation of the water bodies, rising temperatures, evaporation of water bodies eventually turns out to have negative impact which the agricultural production intended could not be achieved du e to inappropriate utilization of chemicals especially fertilizer for farming.Mr Aduna who is also the Coordinator for the Blue Deal project currently working in collaboration with the Water Resources Commission to address Sanitation, and integrated water resources management interventions within the White Volta Basin catchment areas with communities called for the need to consider the vegetative cover by promoting natural regeneration and also churning out policies that will minimize the ways the environment is polluted.'In terms of open defecation and issues that lead to bush fires which further also lead to degradation'. He noted.To this end, he said one institution cannot do it all at the governance level, and called for collaborative efforts by every organization, and urged that if every municipal and district Assembly would implement their policies and plans strictly 'we may not reach zero environmental degradation, but we will minimize it,' he re- emphasized.Responding to how to deal with commu nities impacted by floods and drought, he indicated that dealing with such communities, interventions range around engaging the communities in rehabilitation of the degraded areas.According to him his outfit also engaged the communities in activities such as tree planting which he said helps in ground water recharge, 'once you leave the place bear the possibility of having frequent floods is high'.He also added that sensitization of communities in management of the flood situation and drought is very important.Source: Ghana News Agency