Read at : Google Alert - desertification
http://www.modernghana.com/news/160283/1/Scientist-warns-of-consequences-of-desertification
Sat, 15 Mar 2008
Science
A Scientist and environmentalist has warned of a possible drought and famine in the northern part of Ghana within the next two years if measures are not taken to address the encroachment on the area by the desert. Dr Newtown Jibunoh said the persistent felling of trees and the release of chemical substances by the industrial sector and automobiles had warmed up the atmosphere. He said heat from the atmosphere had broken down the desert sand into dust and spread it inland. This development, he explained brought about drought and the destruction of farmlands.
According to Jibunoh, who is the founder of the Fight Against Desert Encroachment, an NGO, the problem of desert encroachment was affecting all the front line countries bordering the Sahara Desert.
“In the next one to two years, there will be drought and famine with concomitant health implications,” he stressed.
Dr Jibunoh was briefing the media in Accra on a two-month study he undertook in 13 front line countries bordering the Sahara Desert.
He is leading an eight-member team made up of journalists, cameramen and information and communication technology (ICT) experts to create awareness about the dangers of desertification and the need to find ways of arresting the situation.
Dr Jibunoh, a Nigerian, has already driven in a convoy of three Suzuki Vitara vehicles from Nigeria through Benin and Togo before reaching Ghana. He is to continue to Burkina Faso, Mali, Chad, Niger, Senegal, Mauritania, Algeria and Morocco. He will then proceed to Spain and Germany. The expedition is being sponsored by the Energy International PLC.
Dr Jibunoh said depletion of the ozone layer and the disappearance of the ecosystem which kept “our lives going” were of great concern.
He said rainfall had fallen by about 25 per cent in the front line countries bordering the Sahara Desert because people were just cutting trees without replacing them.
He, therefore, called for collaboration between the government and the private sector to address the problem of desert encroachment.
Dr Jibunoh suggested the planting of trees and the reduction and control in the use of chemical substances, and advised that “for every tree felled, it must be replaced with four trees”.
He said Europe had taken steps to address the problem of desert encroachment, but expressed worry that Africa was depending on Europe to do it for them.
Dr Jibunoh said the effects of the desert encroachment and the consequent drought and famine would not be felt by only people in the fringes of the desert. He mentioned cholera, dysentery and typhoid as some of the diseases induced by the environment.
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Story by Musah Yahaya Jafaru
