Accra, Sept. 24, GNA – Tano River, which is a major source of drinking water for residents in the Western North Region, has started regaining normalcy after being heavily polluted by illegal mining activities.
The Lands and Natural Resources Minister, Mr Samuel Abu Jinapor, who visited the River during a tour of the Region, was excited about the current development, but cautioned that there was more to be done to deal with illegal mining in the country.
He noted that one major challenge the newly created Region was facing was illegal mining and called for concerted efforts by all stakeholders to deal with the menace.
River Tano had almost lost its aquatic life due to illegal mining activities.
The Minister was in the Region to court the support of relevant stakeholders to effectively curb illegal mining.
He began the one-day tour with a courtesy call on the Western North Regional Minister, Mr Richard Ebbah Obeng.
Mr Jinapor admitted that, although ‘Operation Halt’ had chalked some successes in the fight against illegal mining, there was more work to be done to ultimately flush out illegal miners.
The Western North Regional Minister, Richard Ebbah Obeng, noted that a strong collaboration was needed to win the war against illegal mining.
The two ministers subsequently met with members of the Regional Security Council.
Mr. Jinapor noted that they had adopted some strategies that would in the coming days help deal with the menace.
The Minister also met with the Regional House of Chiefs and staff of agencies under the Lands and Natural Resources Ministry to court their support to help in the Greening Ghana agenda and responsible mining.
Mr. Jinapor and his team took a trip to some water bodies that have been polluted as a result of illegal mining.
GNA