Rotary Club of Kumasi and Rotary Club of Kumasi Central under formation in Kumasi, in collaboration with Ghana Water Company Ltd. planted over two thousand (2000) trees in the buffer zone of the Berekese Dam, to set up a Rotary community corps in protecting the forest from encroachers.
The Rotary club of Kumasi has promised to procure drones to enable them to monitor the activities of the encroachers.
Nana Effah Mensah, the President of the Club explained that they decided to move in swiftly to salvage the situation, after the Club was briefed about the devastating effects of the illegal activities on the buffer zone of the dam.
He stated that they were alarmed by the situation, after the authorities of the GWCL updated members on the current situation of the dam.
According to him, they realised that if they do not also come in, water distribution in Kumasi and surrounding areas will be disrupted anytime and that could lead to a water crisis.
He disclosed that, as a result of the activities of encroachers, the forest cover that is supposed to protect the catchment area has been reduced drastically, which resulted in reduction of water volume in the dam.
Mr. Effah Mensah assured of the Club’s commitment in collaborating effectively with the Ghana Water Company Ltd. to nip the activities of the encroachers, who are mostly farmers and illegal chainsaw operators in the bud, to prevent the dam from pollution and shrinking.
The Rotary Club of Kumasi is the second-oldest Rotary club in Ghana. It is an association of business and professional leaders who strive to promote goodwill, peace and understanding around the world by performing community service and promoting ethics, an organization that is neither political nor religious.
The Ghana Water Company Limited (GWCL) has, on numerous occasions, sounded the alarm bells on the destruction of the forest cover that protects the dam and, thereby, exposing the reservoir to evaporation.
The alarm bells caught the attention of the Rotary club of Kumasi, which has laid down measures to help protect and reclaim the depleted forest around the Barekese dam enclave.
