WHY THE MINDLESS CUTTING DOWN OF TREES IN SOME RESIDENTIAL AREAS IN GHANA?

A few days ago, there was a violent rainstorm in the part of McCarthy Hill where I live. It was accompanied by what felt like gale-force winds that actually blew off a few roofing sheets from roofs covering some houses in the area.

There has been a noticeable increase in the strength of winds, in our part of the world, of late. You would think that people living in urban Ghana, who had had some education, would know what most villagers know - that trees act as wind-breaks and provide relief from daytime heat, for those who sit under them, for that purpose.

I always bemoan and actually silently mourn the loss of trees I am familiar with, when I discover that one has been cut down, whiles out on one of my rather irregular dawn walks.

For security reasons, I never have a set routine - to make life that much more difficult, for those who wish one ill: and would dearly like to harm one, simply because one writes and blogs about things that they find unpalatable.

So you can imagine the disappointment I felt, dear reader, when I heard something come crashing against a section of the fence-wall around the house I live in, whiles doing some writing, and came out to find a group of male youth, geniuses all, standing around looking rather pleased with themselves, and admiring their senseless handiwork.

This madness goes on around many residential areas in Ghana - the same nation that says it is embarking on an initiative to "green Ghana" by planting millions of trees.

Those who govern our nation, would do well to concentrate their efforts at creating environmental awareness amongst Ghanaians, on young people: particularly schoolchildren.

As I write this piece, I notice that the many different species of birds, which used to perch on that neem tree that has just been so wantonly destroyed, are already missing an important landmark in their urban habit, which they could perch on, and rest awhile on, to enable them regain their strength again, from the necessary but difficult business of having to fly around, round the clock, during daylight hours, searching for food and a puddle of water to quench their thirst from the unrelenting daytime heat.

Why is humankind so thoughtless and destructive, I ask? Could those young neighbours (so-called "born-again Christians", who apparently cannot make the connection between nature, humankind and God!) not have simply pruned that valuable tree, which cooled that part of our neighbourhood; provided a home at night and a resting place during day time, for so many birds; and also acted as a wind-break for all of us, and left it standing, I ask, dear reader?

I just hope that there isn't a rainstorm accompanied by actual gale-force winds one of these days, for their sake - as their roof could be vulnerable now: thanks to their unnecessary and mindless tree-cutting exercise, today.

I really do hope that next time, those youthful geniuses, will have the good sense to prune, instead of cutting down, any tree that they target once again, to remove, without any justification whatsoever, from the surface of the planet Earth. A word to the wise...

Tel (powered by Tigo - the one mobile phone network in Ghana that actually works!): + 233 (0) 27 745 3109.