After a lost state battle over the threat, the return of illegal mining looks more damaging than ever.
Illegal miners working in parts of the Eastern region are, without recourse to the regulatory system, deleteriously extracting gold with negligence.
As the ambitious illegal miners infiltrated the rivers mining the banks and bed deposits, two major rivers -Densu and Birim are hardest hit.
Police in Kibi pursued several illegal miners who were specifically mining the Densu River on Thursday, January 14, 2021.
This was after an environmental NGO, A Rocha Ghana filed a lawsuit.
Daryl Bosu, who is the deputy National Director of A Rocha Ghana in a statement revealed saying;
“On-going mining activities close to the Densu River. The stretch from Odumase towards Apedwa. We made an official complaint to the police yesterday, and at 6 am this morning, they took a step”
“When the police team visited the site, the miners were not available due to the traditional no working taboo day. But some of the miners who were taken to the police station claimed they had a permit to work on the Concession belonging to Akooko Mine. Akooko Mine used to have a Concession in the area long ago, but that permit expired and due to poor practices, their permit was not renewed.”
However, investigations by the Kyebi Police Unit and a committee from the Koforidua Water Resources Commission confirmed that the argument by community miners to work in the Akooko Mines concession was baseless.
The police asked the miners to provide the requisite mining licenses or they will confiscate all mining equipment within the Densu basin catchment with immediate action.
The actions of illegal miners all around the rivers Birim and Densu have contributed to Ghana Water Company Limited’s sporadic shutdown of treatment plants.
Source:Mynewsghana.net
