Ghana’s MCE goes hard on illegal mining in for Nzema East
Ghana’s Municipal Chief Executive (MCE) for Nzema East Municipality, Madam Dorcas Elizabeth Amoah, has gone hard on illegal mining in for Nzema East with warning.
The Municipal Security Council raided the hideout of illegal miners at Bamiako, a village in the Municipality. The exercise resulted in the arrest of four Chinese, Li Hung Zhi, Bao Lin, Qianxi Uuana, Zhang Xia, and Kweku Zak, and a Ghanaian who are currently in police custody for investigations.
Two pump machines and one Chanfan machine were retrieved and sent to the Axim Divisional Police Command. Madam Amoah said the government had made provisions for community mining, and that whoever desired to mine should follow due processes by seeking a permit from the authorities. According to her, the northern part of the Municipality had also recorded the activities of illegal miners.
“We will not spare anyone who has an interest in destroying our water bodies, such perpetrators will face the full rigours of the law,” she emphasized.
Operation Vanguard
For regulating the activities of mining for environmental sustainability and management, the government of Ghana imposed ban on illegal mining with the popular phrase “operation vanguard.” Operation Vanguard is a military police joint task force set up by the President of Ghana in 2017 to combat the operation of galamsey in Ghana.
However, the purpose of the operation vanguard was defeated as many illegal mining activities still went on before, during, and after the launch of the “operation vanguard.” Activities of illegal miners in the district have dreadful implication for activities of agriculture due to the majority of the dependents of the residents on agriculture for their livelihood.
Mining as an economic activity is essential for the local economic development; however, it has severe environmental consequences and, if not properly managed, can conflict with existing community livelihood. For instance, surface mining with the support of mercury, which is non-degradable pollutant, is used by the illegal miners for the extraction of the gold, which has both short- and long-term implication for the communities and the district at large.
