A thriving fuel wood business in the communities of Titrinu, Agbokofe, Wauanu and Wumenu, near Ho, is rapidly degrading the farmlands in those areas and virtually turning them into semi-deserts.
As a result of the high demand for fuel wood by some traders, the people of the four communities set the bush on fire, after which they cut the trees and arrange them along the ho-Denu road for sale to be transported by waiting tracks from various parts of the Volta Region.
According to some elderly residents, the practice was seriously affecting crop yield in the communities, as well as the game population in the fast depleting forests.
Meanwhile, the demand for fuel wood seems to outstrip supply and that is not helping to preserve the environment.
The Ghanaian Times toured the communities last Friday, and saw how large quantities of fuel wood were being loaded onto heavy duty trucks, in total defiance of environmental laws.
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