The Minister of Lands and Natural Resources, Samuel Abu Jinapor, has reaffirmed the government’s commitment to stepping up its efforts to combat illicit mining, also known as galamsey, particularly on water bodies.
The government will shortly deploy law enforcement agencies to target areas with a rise in illegal mining activities, with a special focus on the Central Region, according to him.
“The review is scheduled for today, and I am certain that we will deploy.” We will intensify our enforcement efforts. Therefore, we will conduct a cleanup in all of the locations you have mentioned.
“We will execute a comprehensive operation.” We will dispatch law enforcement agencies to conduct a comprehensive inspection of the entire span, with a particular emphasis on the Central Region. He stated, “You can be confident in that, and you can supervise it.”
The management of Ghana Water Company Limited in the Central Region announced that there would be challenges with water supply in Cape Coast, Elmina, and adjacent communities, which sparked conversations about galamsey and its dire impact.
Lands Minister calls for an emergency meeting to crack down on illegal mining
The company disclosed that the recent demand-supply imbalance is the result of insufficient raw water received at the Sekyere Hemang Water Treatment Plant (WTP) as a result of galamsey activities.
The lack of substantial progress in reducing galamsey activities, which have led to the contamination of rivers, destruction of farmlands, and loss of livelihoods for numerous Ghanaians, has been the subject of frustration among environmental groups, civil society organizations, and concerned citizens.
However, Mr. Jinapor, who is also the Member of Parliament for Damongo, assured the public during an appearance on Joy FM’s Super Morning Show that a comprehensive operation would be initiated within the next 24 hours to remove illicit miners from critical areas.
The minister also clarified that Operation Halt, the government’s anti-illegal mining initiative, was intended to be a strategic and specifically targeted endeavor.
He clarified that the operation is not continuous, but rather surgical, with enforcement actions being implemented whenever illicit mining activities are detected in specific regions.
“We will conduct the review today and within the next 24 hours.” He stated, “We will locate the resources and relocate them.”
