The Lands and Natural Resources Minister, John Peter Amewu, has defended government\u2019s decision to purchase drones worth $3 million to boost the country\u2019s fight against illegal mining.<\/p>\n
According to him, the drones, when acquired, can also help the country monitor and deal with the incidents of illegal logging in the country\u2019s forest reserves.<\/p>\n
[contextly_sidebar id=”4IFwyQdIhGBoNixuc6aNPW45NL4vXp34″]Speaking on Eyewitness News<\/strong>, Mr. Amewu said the plan to use drones is part of the government\u2019s grand strategy to effectively clamp down on illegal miners whose activities have devastated the country\u2019s land and water resources.<\/p>\n \u201cThese are quite complex, high-level specification drones that we want to apply,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n Mr. Peter Amewu first announced the government\u2019s plans to procure the monitoring devices in\u00a0March 2017, but received some backlash from the public over the $3 million cost.<\/p>\n But Mr. Amewu said the specification of the drone merits the cost. He told Richard Dela Sky that the drones had special features that would greatly boost the anti-galamsey efforts.<\/p>\n \u201cThese drones are non-visible when they are up in the air. They are sound-free and they can zoom down to about five meters even at a height of about 3, 000 kilometres. It can go to as far as about 27, 000 feet above sea level. It can do a lot of things and it\u2019s very complex,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n \u201cWe want to do things properly. We are looking at alternative ways of financing the two sets we\u2019re getting. The batteries can last for about 14 hours. We can use it for a variety of projects, like the protection of our forests,\u201d he added.<\/p>\n