We share the concerns raised by the Western Regional Fire Command with regard to the spate of excavation of hilly areas in the Sekondi-Takoradi metropolis and its warning that a disaster could occur if the practice is not stopped.
The command says the excavation is done to source materials for commercial and residential construction without due regard to public safety.
The truth is that such excavation is not only done in the Western Region but across the country.
Some people even do it to create space to put up houses and other structures.
Since the natural environment is made for humans to exploit for their survival, some people think they have all the rights to exploit it their own way.
Thus, there are all manner of activities going on in the natural environment, some good but others bad.
For how things are going these days as populations keep growing, there is the need for expert knowledge and advice in exploiting the environment in order not to undermine the very human survival that is paramount for all societies.
It is unfortunate that some people do not have good knowledge of how the natural environment, comprising all its features like vegetation, relief and drainage systems, supports human survival.
For such people, their only interest is what they can exploit from the environment to meet their individual needs.
Focusing on the Sekondi-Takoradi metropolis, we appeal to the state agencies responsible for ensuring sanity in the environment to come in and proactively stop any looming disaster.
Hills and mountains have their special roles in ensuring equilibrium in the environment and so some people compare these relief features to nails and conclude that mountains hold the earth together in a stable manner.
This may sound funny but we cannot discount the other values of hilly areas.
Mountains act like barriers and protect humans from natural disasters in their locations. The Rocky Mountains in North America are cited for protecting people in cities such as Denver and Salt Lake City from powerful winter winds that blow off the Great Plains.
Mountains and highlands influence temperature and rainfall distribution and in Ghana, the Kwahu Mampong Ridge, for example, is said to receive a favourable annual rainfall of 1500- 1700mm and temperature of about 24°C, which is cool and pleasant for surrounding settlements.
It is not for nothing that the Western Region receives the highest rainfall in the country; it is influenced by the Kwahu Plateau that stretches to the region.
Other benefits of hills and mountains include their being water towers – supplying approximately 60 to 80 per cent of all freshwater; being habitats for certain animals; beautifying the environment, providing some wonder and becoming tourist attraction.
It is important to note that even though we can exploit mountains for minerals and other resources for our use, there is the need for the regulatory agencies to examine what they contribute or not in their particular locations before touching them.
In the process, the agencies can also help in checking huge and deep holes created to stem flooding; and preventing landslides and other disasters the excavation of mountains and hills can cause in the country.
