By Emmanuel Gamson
Takoradi, June 16, GNA – Mr Raymond Nana Ebbah, the Wassa Amenfi East Municipal Chief Executive (MCE) in the Western Region, has announced the Assembly’s plans to establish a committee to oversee the reclamation of mined out degraded lands to restore them for productive use.
His announcement was after the Western Regional Anti-Galamsey Task Force conducted an operation to raid illegal mining sites along the Miesie River in the Wassa Amenfi East Municipality.
As part of the operation, the Task Force set ablaze unoccupied temporary shelter belonging to the illegal miners, retrieved seven excavators, and three pump-action guns.
Mr Ebbah said: “The Assembly plans to establish a committee to reclaim lands lost to illegal mining, which previous administrations failed to address. We intend to restore these lands and utilise them productively.”
To make the reclamation effort appealing to the people, the MCE stated that the Assembly would incentivise the reclamation process by offering rewards to miners who voluntarily participated in regreening the degraded sites.
Brigadier General Musah Whajah (Rtd.), the Western Regional National Security Liaison Officer, who led the team to conduct the operation, proposed that arrested illegal miners must be made to restore the lands they degraded, including filling in holes, as part of their punishments.
He said: “A key takeaway is that we have observed successful land reclamation efforts, and we plan to mandate arrested illegal miners to restore degraded lands and fill holes as part of their punishments.
“We will inform Assemblies, and MMDCEs to establish a monitoring committee to track arrested miners and require them to reclaim the damaged areas within a specified timeframe.”
GNA
Edited by Justina Paaga and Lydia Kukua Asamoah