The Northern Regional Directorate of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has planted 11,000 trees in some selected schools in the region.
The schools included Tamale Senior High School (TAMASCO), Tamale College of Education (TACE), University for Development Studies (UDS) and Naahada Islamic School.
Olam Ghana Limited as part of its Corporate Social Responsibility initiative supported EPA with the trees.
Mr. Iddiris Abu, Northern Regional Director of the EPA speaking at the commencement of the tree planting at TAMASCO in Tamale metropolis to mark this year’S World Environment Day, urged the school authorities to take urgent measures to protect their immediate environment
He maintained that the surest method of protecting the environment was to plant more trees on their campus.
Mr Abu lamented that the manner in which trees were being felled in the region was alarming and that something urgent ought to be done to halt it.
He said that there was an eminent danger in the whole area if people and institutions failed to increase trees population in the region.
Mr Abu remarked the frequent destruction of homes by rains and windstorms in some parts of the region were as a result of indiscriminate felling of trees in the area.
He explained that trees serves as check to windstorm and that it was prudent to heads of institutions to cultivate the habit of planting trees around their schools.
The director explained that the trees were not only protecting buildings against storms but would also prevent outbreaks of certain diseases in the schools.
The Headmaster of TAMSCO, Mr Wilberforce Adam commended the EPA and Olam for assisting them to plant trees in the schools.
He assured that the school would put in place measures to ensure that every single tree planted in the school was protected.
Mr Adam said the school was glad to be selected for the project and that it had plans to replace old trees which were now death traps.
The Rector of Tamale College of Education, Dr Sulemana Iddris on his part said trees were important to the survival of human beings and that it was important for everyone to plant trees.
He hinted that the authority is to embark on a project to plant trees in every bungalow in the college starting from June.
FROM YAKUBU ABDUL-MAJEED, TAMALE
