<<Print>>

Ghanaians have been advised to be cautious of where they plant trees in order not to interfere with electrical installations.

The Volta/Oti Regional Manager of the Electricity Company of Ghana, Mr Emmanuel Lumor, said while the country was geared towards planting millions of trees under the Green Ghana Project, people should avoid planting trees directly under electric poles, especially those that could grow very tall to touch the poles.

In an interview with the Daily Graphic during the nationwide tree planting exercise in the region, Mr Lumor explained that trees were conductors and therefore “when they touch our lines, they will go off, give shock or damage equipment and affect lives.”

According to him, the government’s tree planting initiative was very important to the company, and for that matter it had decided to join by planting a large number of trees.

He said the company knew the importance of trees in the community as it helped in taking out carbon dioxide in the system and replacing it with oxygen to make life comfortable.

6,000 trees

As part of the company’s contribution towards the exercise, “The eleven districts in the Volta/Oti regions have been directed to plant trees and we have decided to plant about 6,000 trees to green our environment.

“From today, after this exercise, we have directed that if we lose any tree to our activities, we will plant four in replacement so we can keep the ecosystem,” he indicated.

He urged all Ghanaians to be involved in the tree planting exercise because it is for life and for a better environment and restoration of the ecosystem as well as dealing with climate change.

Talking about safety issues, especially during the rainy season, Mr Lumor advised customers to avoid standing under trees, especially during the rainy season because lighting strikes easily through trees which could have disastrous consequences.