NDC constituency executives resist seizure of galamsey equipment at Offin River

As they stopped and confiscated equipment, a government advisory team conducting a fact-finding mission to evaluate the effects of illicit mining (galamsey) encountered strong opposition in several areas of the Western and Central regions.

Illegal miners and some National Democratic Congress (NDC) officials were incensed by the operation, which was intended to stop environmental damage.

At galamsey locations in Anwia (near Nkroful), Prestea, and Dunkwa, the crew, which has been traveling to severely impacted communities, acted decisively by destroying Changfan machines and seizing pumping machines, generators, and excavators.

But in Dunkwa, when the miners organized to face the team under the leadership of the NDC Constituency Chairman, emotions flared.

The NDC official, supported by irate miners and locals, said that he had not been notified prior to the raid.

Roads were blocked and a direct confrontation with the heavily armed security guards accompanying the team was threatened by the demonstrators, many of whom were directly involved in illicit mining operations along the Offin River.

The situation at Anwia was grave, with roads being seriously damaged by illicit mining and concrete storm drains on the verge of collapsing.

The advising team responded by conducting a raid, dismantling machinery, and burning the mining camps.

In a similar operation, several pumps and generators were seized at a mining site behind a technical school in Nkroful.

Illegal mining along the Offin River was found to be a significant environmental concern in Baduwa No.2, Upper Denkyira East District, resulting in regular floods and the destruction of farmlands.

Some residents expressed annoyance at the government’s inability to stop galamsey operations, while others bemoaned the long-term harm to their communities.

When the team was doing an overhead scan of Dunkwa township and found a large illegal dig dangerously near the town’s main bridge, tensions reached a breaking point.

An irate crowd rushed the scene while they were evaluating the issue and demanded that the team depart right now. A throng gathered close to the bridge and publicly challenged the security personnel as the altercation grew more intense.

The advisory team, which includes Rear Admiral (Rtd) Moses Beick-Baffour, is steadfast in its goal to influence government policy regarding illicit mining and bolster upcoming enforcement efforts in spite of the animosity.

Critical questions concerning governance, local complicity, and the implementation of environmental regulations in Ghana are raised by the most recent resistance, which underscores the escalating political and social difficulties surrounding galamsey enforcement as the fight against illegal mining grows.

Source: Ghanatodayonline.com