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The Kumasi Metropolitan Assembly (KMA) has whipped up the enthusiasm on environmental awareness with the commemoration of two significant events – International Day of the Forests and World Water Day, marked on March 21 and March 22 each year, respectively.

Both events were observed in the wake of the changing climatic conditions, which had been necessitated by the increasing deterioration of the environment, especially the indiscriminate felling of trees and bush-burning, pollution of water bodies, amongst others.

The Metropolitan Chief Executive (MCE), Mr. Osei Assibey Antwi, in line with the commemoration, led various exercises to draw public attention to the need to work assiduously to enhance the ecology and biodiversity.

On hand to give moral and technical support to the exercise included Friends of Rivers and Water Bodies, an environmental-based Non-Governmental Organization (NGO), Kumasi Rotary Club, Youth-in-Afforestation programme, Forestry Commission, amongst others 

Activities undertaken by the Assembly and its partners included inspection of trees planted under the Assembly’s ‘Keep Kumasi Clean and Green (KKCG’) Project.

The Rotary Club as part of the occasion officially announced their decision to adopt the wetlands near the offices of the KMA, and consequently, named the area ‘Rotary Club Gardens’.

In connection with this, Engineer Nana Poku Agyemang, President of the Club, assisted by the MCE, planted a symbolic coconut tree seedling at the Gardens.

The Assembly had since the inception of the KKCG planted various tree species provided by the Forestry Research Institute of Ghana (FORIG), including ‘ofram’, ‘emire’, ‘kusia’, ‘akeyaa’, ‘royal palm tree’, ‘mahogany’ and ‘odum’.

Mr. Osei Assibey said the trees apart from beautifying the metropolis, also served as a means to absorb the increasing carbon in the atmosphere, which had contributed immensely to the changing climatic conditions.

He drew attention to the fact that under the Assembly’s bye-laws it was mandatory for house owners to plant trees within their premises.

The MCE warned that the Assembly would not tolerate any practices likely to deteriorate the environment, and urged all and sundry to be environmentally-conscious.

Nana Dwomoh Sarpong, President of Rivers and Water Bodies, advised the citizenry to desist from building on water courses as it caused flooding with its attendant consequences on life and property.