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Illegal miners pollute Oda River

The Oda River, a source of water supply to the inhabitants of Obuasi Municipality and beyond, is still suffering from pollution due to illegal mining activities in it. 

Illegal mining is ongoing in the river right at the pumping station of the Ghana Water Company Limited at Watereso in the Amansie South District of Ashanti. 

A visit to the area by a team of journalists, under the auspices of the Ghana National Association of Small Scale Miners (GNASSM), saw illegal miners with  chanfangs working in broad daylight in the river.

But, before the Task Force members of the GNASSM could say Jack, the illegal miners had escaped, swimming in the river. 

Per an earlier order by the Deputy Minister for Lands and Natural Resources, Mireku Duker, to burn the chanfangs, the Task Force team led by its Commander, John Chebe, set the machine on fire and destroyed other items.

The illegal activities are impacting negatively on the environment in the Watereso and Adeja communities in the district. 

In the Adeja communities, several canals had been created into the Oda River by the illegal miners, thus polluting it.

the Vice President of the GNASSM, said they were poised to fight illegal mining, especially on water bodies, adding that they were prepared to assist the government in every legal way to ensuring that miners work in compliance with all the environmental protocols and laws of the country. 

Mr Wiredu cautioned illegal miners to stop activities in water bodies because “our task force members will not stop chasing them to bring them to book”.

The Chief of Watereso, Nana Kwabena Sapi II, appealed to the GNASSM taskforce members and other security institutions playing roles in curbing illegal mining to work harder to end the illegal mining in the Oda River for them to have access to quality water. 

FROM KINGSLEY E.HOPE,WATERESO



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