34 Galamseyers Operators Nabbed

34 illegal small-scale miners, popularly known as 'galamsey' operators, including nine foreigners, have been apprehended for mining without license in a swoop conducted by a 240-member task force comprising military and police personnel in various locations of the Western region.

The nine foreigners included five Chinese and four nationals of Burkina Faso.

All the suspects arrested during the swoop dubbed, 'Operation Halt II,' have been arraigned before court by the Western Regional Police Command and charged with mining without license.

The suspects were subsequently remanded in police custody by the court.

The operation was conducted by the National Security Committee on Lands and Natural Resources (NSCLNR), an inter-sectoral body, comprising the police, military, immigration, Environmental Protection Agency (NPA) as well as the Lands, Minerals and Forestry Commissions, which was constituted by the Ministry of Lands and Natural Resources to combat the illegal exploitation of the nation's natural resources.

The operation, which was organized simultaneously in different locations, was designed principally to halt the uncontrolled degradation of forest reserves, blatant destruction of the environment in 'galamsey-prone' sites and clamp down on the reckless pollution of the Ankobra and Bonsa Rivers.

The exercise was also targeted at ensuring the safety of water from the rivers that serve as the main source of water for use by the local communities as well as send a strong signal to other galamsey operators the law was against their illegal activities.

Forest Reserves covered during the operation include the Nueng South, Cape Three Points and Akyempim Forest Reserves. Rivers covered were Bonsaso, Ankobra and Asuoso while some locations around Adansi, Dikoto and Jappa were also visited.  Portions of the road linking Tarkwa – Wassa Akropong- Ayanfuri which have been destroyed by galamsey operators were covered during the swoop.

A number of equipment including five heavy duty excavators, 60 change fan dredging machines, six  20-footer containers used by the miners for accommodation, five generating plants, 15 IBC containers of diesel and mats for extracting gold were confiscated by the Task force during the operation.

Other items confiscated and handed over to the police as exhibits were one safe, one M16 assault rifle with seven rounds of live ammunition and two ZNA pick-up vehicles. The content of the safe were not immediately known.

Major (Rtd) E.W. Logochura, Head of the monitoring team of the NSCLNR and Co-ordinator of the Operation, made the disclosure in a report he presented to Frank Sofo, the Acting Chief Director, Ministry of Lands and Natural Resources.

Operation, he mentioned, will continue to ensure that the alarming rate at which the nation's forest is being depleted is arrested to protect the nation's resources.

He urged all illegal operators to take to legitimate livelihood or 'they would be made to face the full rigours of the law.'

He decried the pollution of the rivers with harmful chemicals like mercury and cyanide by the illegal miners as it pollutes Rivers Bonsaso and Asuoso which are the main source of drinking water for the communities.

Major Logochura also revealed that the large tracks of the Nueng South and Akyempim forest reserves have been completely destroyed by these illegal operators.

The Co-ordinator said assault boats would also be acquired to patrol the rivers in a mop-up exercise to secure the water bodies while  policing of the forest reserves will also be stepped up to  halt the illegalities.

He further urged the public to furnish the NSCLNR with the necessary information on such illegal practices to facilitate its operations.

Major (Rtd) Logochura also called for a total ban of the importation of the Chinese-made changfan dredging machines.