A total of about 27 pieces of illegal mining equipment have been burnt in a special joint Military and Police Operation led by the Deputy Minister for Lands and Natural Resources George Mireku Duker in Eastern and Ashanti Regions.
The burnt equipment includes 19 chanfai mining machines and eight (8) water pumping machines.
The team also burnt several tents being used by the illegal miners as shelter.
Six suspects including some West African Nationals were arrested during the operation conducted on September 30, 2021.
The borders of Birim North and Asante Akyem South Districts in Eastern and Ashanti regions respectively have been invaded by illegal miners mostly from West African countries such as Burkina Faso, Niger, and Ivory Coast.
These illegal miners have introduced a new method and technology to mine gold and discharge dangerous chemicals into river bodies including River Prah.
The Minister who walked through rivers and bushes to the illegal sites with the team lamented the high levels of destruction and pollution of the environment by Foreigners. He said the ministry will continue to flush them out.
“The invasion of foreigners is now the trend and it is a worrying one people coming from Burkina Faso, Ivory Coast, Benin and so on. Those who have been arrested attest to that fact. Unfortunately, Ghanaians are allowing this to happen”.
“Animals are dying because they are drinking from diverted water that has been polluted by Mercury and so on. Farmers are complaining, they are destroying cocoa farms. If you can see behind me, the Prah River has been diverted and heavily polluted this is worrying to Ghanaians and o think Ghanaians should be alert now” He concluded.
The Deputy Lands and Natural Resources Minister also ordered the immediate closure of Socorro Investment Mining Limited located at Amenam in Asante Akyem South District which has allegedly been taken over by Franco Trading Enterprise.
“Because they don’t have a license to mine. It is on an illegal site. They must produce an EPA license before they start mining. Nobody can claim ownership of this concession. Minerals Commission has not granted any concession here,” the Deputy Minister stated.
Source: Mybrytfmonline.com/Obed Ansah
