Emmanuel Amarh Kofi Buah, Minister responsible for Lands and Natural Resources has told parliament that, out of the 288 Ghanaian Forest Reserves, a whopping 44 are under serious attack by illegal miners, and an estimated area of over 5,000 hectares has been devastated (about 7,500 standard football pitches).
This he highlighted mostly occurring in the Ashanti (Bekwai, Nkawie), Western (Tarkwa & Daboase), and Western North (Bibiani, Enchi & Juaboso) Regions.
Delivering a statement on the floor of parliament on Wednesday, February 19, 2025, the Minister noted that the approach adopted by these illegal mining thugs is quite alarming and frightening.
They are heavily armed with very sophisticated weapons and very violent with large numbers of excavators, making it extremely difficult for the Forestry Guards and the Rapid Response Teams to control them since they have no such sophisticated weapons to fight back.
Over 9 out of the 44 Forest Reserves have completely been taken over by these illegal mining thugs with impunity, and the Forestry Commission no longer has access to these reserves.
“Speaker, the impact of illegal mining on our water bodies is critical and equally alarming. Among the three water Basin systems in Ghana (Volta, South-Western, and the Coastal Basin systems), the South-Western Basin System is most impacted. The rivers that form the South-Western Basin are Ankobra, Pra (Offin, Birim & Oda), Tano, and Bia.”
The Ellembele Lawmaker explained that according to the Ghana Water Company, the normal turbidity levels for water under treatment should not exceed 500 NTU, however, the current turbidity levels of these water systems are between 5,000 – 12,000 NTU.
“The Ghana Water Company has had to shut down some treatment plants in Tarkwa at a point due to over-pollution from Galamsey” he added
He therefore appealed to all Ghanaians and Members of Parliament to join him and the ministry in this fight against Galamsey.
“Let us unite to support the measures outlined today. We owe it to ourselves, our children, and future generations to safeguard our environment and secure a sustainable future for our beloved nation. The time to act is now. Together, we can and must prevail.” He called
By: Mary Quartey
