{"id":410400,"date":"2018-03-18T12:30:08","date_gmt":"2018-03-18T12:30:08","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/citifmonline.com\/?p=410400"},"modified":"2018-03-18T10:48:26","modified_gmt":"2018-03-18T10:48:26","slug":"illegal-mining-persists-in-parts-of-western-region","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/citifmonline.com\/2018\/03\/illegal-mining-persists-in-parts-of-western-region\/","title":{"rendered":"Illegal mining persists in parts of Western Region"},"content":{"rendered":"
Citi News<\/strong> can confirm that some communities in the Wassa Akropong and Amenfi Districts of the Western Region are still engaged in illegal mining activities along water bodies.<\/p>\n This is in spite of a ban placed on all forms of small-scale mining and an intensified government effort to end illegal mining.<\/p>\n [contextly_sidebar id=”g72YN8oAOgldMLmc1JpYzk6Y0GbxsRy0″]Citi News\u2019<\/strong>\u00a0Western Regional Correspondent, Obrempong Yaw Ampofo, reports that although the anti-galamsey task-force, Operation Vanguard, is working in these areas, the miners have adopted new methods to outwit them.<\/p>\n \u201cWe have over a million illegal miners scattered across the Western Region. The Western Region has less than hundred land-guard officers trying to contain illegal mining. Galamsey is still ongoing in the Wassa Amenfi community\u201d.<\/p>\n As part of measures to clamp down these miners, the National Commander of the task-force, Colonel Amoah Ayisi, said his team is hopeful that the involvement of the Navy and Marine Police will yield some positive results.<\/p>\n \u201cThe river body is a major concern in terms of these illegal mining activities. So far, we have managed to destroy four hundred and eighty-five floating platforms that they use on the river for illegal mining,\u201d he said<\/p>\n The Western Regional Minister, Dr. Kwaku Afriyie, has said that the fight against illegal mining known as galamsey, will be sustained to bring an end to the abuse of Ghana\u2019s mining laws and the destruction of the environment.<\/p>\n \u201cThe move by government to end galamsey or illegal mining is based on the wanton destruction of the country\u2019s water bodies, farmlands and other infrastructure by individuals and groups within and outside the country. Due to the gravity of the situation, government through a well-orchestrated means will sustain the campaign against this menace\u201d.<\/p>\n