MAKE LPG AFFORDABLE

PARTICIPANTS at a workshop organised by the Ministry of Local Government, Rural Development and Environment on sustainable energy use and conservation at Dodowa have called for a reduction in the prices of Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG) to enable more households to move away from the use of fuel wood to LPG.
This call on the government is very timely because of the threat that the uncontrolled reliance on fuel wood is causing to the country’s forest resources.
A Deputy Minister of the ministry, Mr Maxwell Kofi Jumah, while addressing the participants, hit the nail right on the head when he said, “The massive depletion of forest resources is due to the dependence of squatter settlements on fuel wood as a major source of energy.”
Unless something is done to get Ghanaians to rely on alternative energy sources, particularly low income earners, majority of the people will continue to rely on fuel wood which abounds in the country. But the consequences can be grave for the future.
Already, desertification is catching up with the northern sector of the country at a very alarming rate as a result of many factors, such as bush burning, uncontrolled felling of trees for fuel wood and other purposes, as well as unscientific agro practices.
Although it is an undeniable fact that sustainable development can be achieved through the judicious use of our natural resources, sometimes governmental and individual actions tend to suggest that we are oblivious of the benefits of green belts. The indiscriminate exploitation of the world’s resources, including the forest cover, has led to the phenomenon known as global warming, whose consequences have led to prolonged droughts, famine, heavy rainfall accompanied by floods, very cold weather and heat waves in all temperature zones, causing extensive damage to lives and property.
In the 1980s, the government launched an ambitious programme for energy efficiency in the country, with the focus on the use of LPG. The urban poor and rural dwellers who heavily depended on fuel wood and charcoal for both domestic chores and commercial ventures, such as ‘chop bar’ operations, were targeted to switch over to LPG to ensure mass use of the product. Industrialists were also encouraged to produce stoves of all kinds for use by the people. A complete unit was set up to propagate LPG use.
However, subsequent developments, including rising prices of crude oil on the world market and the government’s desire to maximise revenue from petroleum products, led to the pricing of LPG beyond the pockets of many average Ghanaians.
But while government officials and functionaries lost no opportunity to drum home the benefits of LPG, they did very little to encourage mass use because of the high prices, despite protestations from members of the public.
The high demand for LPG has also been compounded by the uncontrolled conversion of vehicles using premium and diesel to the use of LPG. A recent disclosure by the National Petroleum Authority (NPA) that the conversion of petroleum cars to LPG had not been authorised has not deterred those involved in that trade.
The benefits of energy conservation and efficiency, although well-known and recognised, are yet to impact positively on the management of the forest resources as a result of a variety of barriers, including the high prices of LPG and the lack of accessibility. The Tema Oil Refinery (TOR) must also do more investment in the production of LPG to prevent the frequent shortage of the product on the market, a development which forces users to turn to fuel wood.
The Daily Graphic calls on agencies such as the NPA and the Energy Commission to intensify public education on the use of LPG and advises the government to make LPG affordable to both the urban and rural poor.
The government would have to factor revenue loss in an exercise for the mass use of LPG at affordable prices into a comprehensive and multi-sectoral approach towards energy conservation and sustainable development.
The short-term net gain from such an initiative will not be high at the initial stage but the long-term benefit will be substantial. The danger posed by desertification and depletion of the forest must be halted through conservation and energy-saving methods. If the forests must be conserved for future generations, then it behoves the government to make it easier for all to use LPG by making the product available at all times at affordable prices.
Let this generation not be accused of endangering life through the depletion of the country’s forests.