The population characteristic has been extrapolated from, the composite population figures that constituted the then Bolgatanga District of which the Talensi –Nabdam area was a part.

It is therefore not possible to get the comprehensive and disaggregated figures such as the age structure are for the entire population of the Talensi-Nabdam area.  These available population figures are therefore presented in terms of figures pertaining to communities in the Talensi-Nabdam District that formed part of  the then Bolgatanga District. 

Like in the case of the population, data on the housing situation was extrapolated from housing information that comprised the then Bolga District.  The  information that now pertains to the Talensi-Nabdam District was generated by gathering figures associated with Communities that form the Talensi-Nabdam District.

Generally the Housing conditions are poor and many houses lack the necessary facilities, such as toilets and bathrooms.  The building materials used in the construction of houses included mud land Crete bricks and sand Crete blocks with thatch or corrugated sheets.  Most of the buildings are make shit made of weak or no or swish walls with those foundations.

Many of these experience visible physical defects such as having leaking and disorganised thatch   roofed cracked   and dilapidated walls and oxidised corrugated sheet.  However, there are several well designed and engineered sand Crete and land Crete building.

Natural Environment

The district has three gazetted forest reserves covering a total area of 455.2km. The population which is predominantly rural depends on the forest reserves for their livelihood. They depend on it for both their Domestic and Commercial needs.  The small timber poles and Rafters from the forest are used for building homes and sources of traditional energy source among others.

Also forest products such as fuel wood and charcoal are an important source of income for many people. Most especially, with the increases in the cost of LPG and electricity tariffs, the Biomass fuel industry has boomed and the export of firewood and charcoal to urban towns has become very lucrative.

Environmental Problems

The following environmental problems exist in the district.

Deforestation

Silting of water bodies

Land escape destruction (deep trenches and pits) .

Massive soil erosions

Soil fertility problems

Bush fires

The major causes of these include:

Poor Agriculture practices

Charcoal production

Careless smoking

Activities of  Herdsmen, Hunting 

Fire festivals

Honey tapping

Illegal surface mining

Dryland Issues

The Talensi District is located within one of Ghana’s most deprived environments.  The environment of the District is fragile and prone to destruction by virtue of its resource endowment, geological formation and unfavorable climatic regime.  It is generally considered as degraded and at the threat of further degradation following pathogenetic activities in most area.

The District is abound with natural resources, such as forest, gold, arable land, mountains, hills, and wildlife. Human effort in the utilization of these resources has resulted in environmental problems that are detrimental to the survival of the ecosystem.  Hence choices and the methodologies applied to land use effect the environment and further hinder development.

Dry land concerns in the Talensi District and suggested environmental enhancement strategies.   In summary, Land and its components experience various level of degrading condition, which include;

Soil fertility decline/loss of soil nutrients/leaching

Reduction in soil resilience/soil weakness

Prevalence of barren land/bear condition

Reduction in soil productivity

Reduction in quantity and quality of vegetation cover

Surface water shortage

Siltation of water bodies

Salination of soils

Acidification of soils

Crusting of land/Reduced per culation

Soil erosion/Formation erosion paths

Deforested Land

Land escape of deep trenches and pits

Increase run off and destruction natural regeneration capacity

These visible occurrences as stated above have greatly compromised the quality of the environment and its ability to provide the survival needs of majority of the people. it is however  worth mentioning that the continuous human activities and encroatechment on the generally  fragile receiving  environments, such as  hill slopes and stony top soil mountain slopes (marginal   lands  topography ) in areas such as (Nangodi, Zalerigu, Yameriga etc) has contributed to massive erosion in many areas.  

The district is located in an area where soil is predominantly light in texture on the surface horizon, with low inherent fertility due to the deficiency in organic matter contents, nitrogen and potassium content. For this, the soils are generally susceptible to erosion and declining fertility, given the least negative land use practices. 

Due to the common nature of these negative land use practices, the soils in the District are impoverished in humus and other soils nutrient properties. High on the list of the negative human practices are burning and the competition of man with land for plant and animal residue. Practices which prevent the accumulation of organic matter and further weaken the natural regeneration capacity of the soils; thus rendering many lands unproductive. Thus land degradation is inevitable in the district if much concern is not put to the environment.

 The visible effect of human activities are therefore  the inevitable cause of dry land issues such as the loss of many soil fertility, deforestation, reduction in soil resilience, land degradation, soil erosion,  situation of water bodies and the  seasonal water shortage arising from human encouragement in the forest and marginal  lands.

The following are some critical areas that the Assembly would have to pursue together with community, individuals, NGOs and institutions to restore the environment and ensure sustainable development.

 Stakeholders should therefore respond to the following issues:

Areas degraded by  Small Scale Mining Activities

Land areas affected by earthwork during construction

Catchments areas of all dams and dug-outs in the District.

Avenue and amenity  planting in towns and villages

Prevent the use of marginal lands for Agriculture purposes 

Protection of Hill slopes in Tongo and Nangodi

Protection of river banks.

Restore degraded areas in forest reserves           

Rapid aforestation