By Emmanuel Gamson
Prestea (W/R), Oct. 11, GNA – The Divisional Chief of Prestea-Himan, Nana Nteboah Pra IV, has stated that the government must rigorously enforce laws and regulations on mining in river bodies to deal illegal mining, popularly known as ‘galamsey’ in the country.
He said: “mining in river bodies is unacceptable, and we need to find ways of addressing the matter especially those without licenses. They cannot take the law into their hands and do what they like”.
Nana Pra said this when Mr George Mireku Duker, a Deputy Minister of Lands and Natural Resources, met small scale miners at Prestea in the Western Region, to discuss ways to curb the critical issues of illegal mining in the country.
He said the government needed to craft creative ways on how to deal with the issue of illegal mining, “else the wholesale definition will rope in those who are doing responsible mining”.
He noted that the recent narratives on mining in Ghana were worrying, saying the bad ones must not be confused with those engaged in responsible mining.
“We don’t agree with the issue on river bodies, but we need to be patient. The Government and the regulatory agencies must find how best we can ensure that the illegal ones are flushed from our water bodies.
“Let’s deal with those flouting the laws. We have the laws, let them work, because if we collapse or ban mining today, there will be dire consequences in mining communities,” Nana Pra IV indicated.
Mr Duker, for his part, suggested that the solution to the canker in the small-scale mining sector rested on a community-based approach.
He said deploying community ‘watchdogs’ backed by naval patrols and helicopters to monitor various water bodies in mining enclaves would help to address the issue.
The efforts, he added, would also safeguard Ghana’s critical ecosystems, ensure sustainable management of the natural resources and preserve them for future generations.
Mr Duker said: “This is the way to go, and I am happy the association has pledged to support the government in this bold step to ensure our rivers become clean.
“Government alone cannot do it, because you know the culprits and no foreigner will come to a community and suddenly jump into a river. The solution lies in our collective collaboration”.
He asked the small-scale miners to help in the advocacy to make mining in Ghana attractive, while ensuring that operators worked in accordance with good industry safety and regulatory practices.
GNA