SNARSA targets illegal mining reclamation, forest monitoring, and flood prevention through technology

The School of Natural Resource Students’ Association (SNARSA) at the University of Energy and Natural Resources (UENR) seeks to deploy modern technology to help address illegal mining, forest degradation, flooding, and other environmental challenges confronting Ghana.

The association says it intends to use high-powered Geographic Information System (GIS) equipment and scientific research to identify environmental hotspots, monitor forest depletion, map disaster-prone communities and provide data to support government interventions.

SNARS President, Kingsford Nana Oduro Dickso, outlined the plans during theassociation's official launch at UENR in Fiapre, near Sunyani in the Bono Region, where executives were sworn in.

The launch was held under the theme: “Natural Resources Students at the Forefront of Sustaining the Environment: Partnering Government Against Environmental Backlashes.”

Mr Dickson said the association wanted to move beyond conventional student activities and position its members as technical partners in addressing the country's environmental challenges.

He explained that a major component of the association's vision was the establishment of a state-of-the-art Natural Resources Laboratory equipped with soil and water testing facilities, an Environmental Impact Assessment and reclamation centre, and advanced GIS technology.

The proposed laboratory, estimated to cost GH¢2.5 million, would provide facilities for assessing degraded lands, determining their suitability for restoration and generating scientific information to support environmental management.

According to him, the technology would also enable students to monitor changes in vegetation and identify areas vulnerable to environmental disasters.

He cited the Normalised Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI), a remote-sensing technique used to assess vegetation health, as one of the tools the association intends to explore.

“We will be able to use our technology to determine the rate at which our forest is depleting and advise the Forestry Commission,” he said.

He added that GIS technology could help identify fire-prone areas and flood-risk zones, providing useful information to institutions such as the National Disaster Management Organisation (NADMO) and the Ghana National Fire Service.

Mr Dickson said flooding was not limited to major cities, pointing to poor sanitation and choked gutters in Sunyani as examples of local environmental challenges that required both technological and community-based interventions.

“If you pass through the streets of Sunyani, you see how gutters are being choked. So we are not only going to use technology; we will serve as volunteers to help these gutters and reshape our communities,” he stated.

The SNARSA president said the association was interested in supporting land reclamation initiatives by conducting soil assessments to determine the potential uses of restored lands.

He explained that scientific testing could help establish whether reclaimed sites were suitable for agricultural activities.

According to him, such interventions could help return degraded lands to productive use, create economic opportunities and support national development.

He said the association had drawn inspiration from ongoing land reclamation initiatives, including the Ghana Gold Board's Land Reclamation Project.

Mr Dickson stressed that the ultimate objective was to ensure natural resource students applied their academic knowledge to real-world problems rather than graduate and depend entirely on government for employment.

“Government should not invest so much in our education, pay our lecturers and their research allowances, and at the end of the day, we become no use to society,” he said.

He added that SNARSA intended to establish partnerships with government agencies, industry players and other relevant institutions to translate research and technology into practical environmental solutions.