Wa, July 9, GNA – Dr Hafiz Bin Salih, the Upper West Regional Minister, has appealed to chiefs to stop endorsing activities of illegal miners and loggers in the region.
He said the activities of these illegal miners and loggers are polluting the water bodies and degrading the environment in the region.
Dr Bin Salih, who made the appeal during the Regional Coordinating Council (RCC) meeting in Wa, said these activities, which have been banned, still remained in force and are posing a security threat in the region.
“The fight against illegal logging is being hampered by activities of indigenes who collaborate with buyers to cut down rosewood for it to be salvaged later”, he said.
The Regional Minister urged chiefs, who were the custodians of the lands, to help make the ban on illegal mining and logging a reality in the region by rejecting the activities of these people in their jurisdictions.
He said the protection of the water bodies and the environment ought to be seen as a duty by all, adding that it is only this way that they could put an end to the nefarious activities of these unscrupulous few individuals.
GNA