Former President J.J. Rawlings has said Ghanaians cannot associate their habits with the sacrifice Christ endured for them if they fail to sacrifice for the environment. 

In his Easter message Sunday, he called for a sober reflection on the harmful activities of people on the environment.

Regretting the floods over the past weeks which claims lives, he said, “Floods are sometimes not avoidable but most of the flood disasters we experience are created by the indiscriminate and widespread construction of structures on waterways, which is then exacerbated by the reckless dumping of refuse by individuals.”

“Many of us operate above the law by constructing buildings and walls on waterways, blocking the easy flow of water during rains. We feel above the law because are able to corrupt and manipulate city and town planning authorities or feel empowered by our association with political authority,” he added. 

According to him, environmental disasters that emanate from people lawlessness and poor habits do not discriminate in who gets killed or maimed.

“Let us sacrifice for our environment by keeping it clean, tidy and protected,” he concluded.

Below is his message

Let Easter be a period of sacrifice for the health of our environment

As we commemorate the resurrection of Christ, let us use the opportunity to reflect.

The crucifixion and resurrection was a great symbol of sacrifice. How often we do we sacrifice for our families, our communities and our country? How often do we take but never give?

We have in the past few weeks lost several lives due to floods. Floods are sometimes not avoidable but most of the flood disasters we experience are created by the indiscriminate and widespread construction of structures on waterways, which is then exacerbated by the reckless dumping of refuse by individuals.

Many of us operate above the law by constructing buildings and walls on waterways, blocking the easy flow of water during rains.

We feel above the law because are able to corrupt and manipulate city and town planning authorities or feel empowered by our association with political authority.  

We also repeatedly refuse to do the right thing by walking some distance to dump refuse at officially designated dumps. Under the cover of darkness, we dump bags of rubbish in gutters, drains and on the shoulders of our roads. 

We cannot associate our habits with the sacrifice Christ endured for us if we fail to sacrifice for our environment, for our own health and for our own safety.

Today should offer us a moment of sober reflection. Let us ponder over the harm we cause to our environment daily. It is a collective responsibility. Those who look on and do nothing to stop the errant ones are equally guilty.

Environmental disasters that emanate from our lawlessness and poor habits do not discriminate in who gets killed or maimed. Let us sacrifice for our environment by keeping it clean, tidy and protected. 

Happy Easter to all.