Arrest galamsey financiers – EPA

Accra, Ghana - The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and Water Resources Commission have sounded the alarm over illegal mining activities in the Densu River at Potrase, near Kyebi in the Eastern Region, calling for the immediate arrest of financiers backing these operations.

The Densu River, a vital water source for over 1.5 million Accra residents and dozens of upstream communities, is under severe threat as illegal miners have blocked and diverted its flow, jeopardizing water access.

Eastern Regional EPA Director, Addo Okyere, described the situation as a national threat, urging swift action to address the issue. "The destruction is alarming, and the Densu River, which is essential for many communities, is being attacked," Okyere stressed.

“The Potrase situation is bad and then I think I won’t mince words. The situation is bad. The situation is bad in the sense that the Densu River which hasn’t offended any mining company or any galamseyer is now being attacked.

“This river serves a lot of people in the country from the Eastern region or the Akyem area through Nsawam up to the Greater Accra is now being attacked by these galamsey operators and the fear is that the river may dry up during dry the season or now that it is getting polluted. It has become turbid. And if pragmatic action is not taken now, we may cry over the Densu River.”

Mr. Addo Okyere added that the arrest must go beyond the mere labourers to the actual financiers of the illegalities.

“I think that the prosecution or the arrest should not only be on those that we find on the field. Those that we find on the field, when we get them, we need to find out who sends them there because these people that we meet, these illegal miners, sometimes you look at them and you realize that they cannot even afford to rent an excavator.

“They [labourers] can’t even afford to buy about 100 litres of diesel, let alone gallons, to do the work. It means that there are some financiers behind them. There are some financiers somewhere. So if the law would permit us to look for who is behind, then we can easily get them and stop them from doing that.”

The EPA and Water Resources Commission are demanding immediate action to halt the illegal mining activities, protect the Densu River, and ensure the water supply for affected communities.

Source : Lead News Online