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Operation Halt, the anti-galamsey task force, has stepped up its efforts to suppress illicit mining activity and has destroyed important machinery that was being utilized for illicit operations on Ghana’s streams and rivers.
In their most recent action, the task force destroyed eight water-pumping devices, ten Changfans, and a gun on the Pra River in the Central Region.
This comes after thirty mining pieces were set ablaze on the first day of operations on the Birim River in the Eastern Region.
Colonel Eric Tenadu, the Commander of the Operation Halt Task Force, emphasized in an interview with media that the group had also removed a number of other devices used by illicit miners.
He clarified that the task force’s swift movement on day two, from the Eastern to the Central Region, was a tactical move intended to outwit illicit miners and keep them from moving their operations.
The task team will patrol significant water bodies around the nation, such as the Pra, Birim, and Ankobra Rivers, all of which have been severely contaminated by illicit mining activities, for the next two weeks as part of Operation Halt.
Col. Tenadu reaffirmed that the operation’s goals are to prevent those who continue to harm the environment by galamsey in addition to destroying infrastructure related to illicit mining.
“I am unable to tell where we are moving next but I can assure you that we are visiting all the major water bodies in the country and so the illegal miners should prepare for us.
“For this phase of the operation, our aim is to clear the waterbodies and so our concentration is on the waterbodies and not lands.”
The government’s resolve to address the galamsey situation is demonstrated by the deployment of military troops, including engineers, in addition to law enforcement agents and environmental specialists.
Environmental organizations have mostly praised the operation thus far, but many have demanded long-term fixes to stop illicit miners from coming back when the task force departs.
Source: Ghanatodayonline.com
