Niger Republic authorities have urged citizens to reduce the use of firewood during the Muslim Eid celebrations.

According to BBC, the capital city of Niger, Niamey is expected to use at least 50,000 tonnes of firewood during the celebration, which is a fifth of the amount of wood used all year round.

Col Oumarou Alou, head of Niamey’s environmental agency told BBC:

“We are looking for ways to reduce consumption [and] have developed other means of conducting heat, by using metal equipment as well as coal. We are trying to get the message across to various groups that could sway opinion, so that we can preserve our forests.”