Galamsey Fight: No One Would Be Spared – Abu Jinapor
The Minister for Lands and Natural Resources, Samuel Abu Jinapor, has served notice that no one will be spared in President Akufo-Addo’s quest to ensure all river bodies and forests are not destroyed by irresponsible mining.
Speaking at Daboase waterworks treatment plant of the Ghana Water Company in the Western Region, Mr. Jinapor said the government’s renewed spirit against irresponsible and small-scale mining is unabated and all saboteurs seeking to thwart the government’s effort will not be spared irrespective of who is found culpable.
Due to the activities of illegal miners on the Pra River which serves as one of the major sources of raw water for treatment to consumers in the Sekondi-Takoradi Metropolis and its environs, the turbidity and color parameters have risen to 3000 hephelo-metric unit and 5000 hazen unit.
He said the Akufo-Addo government had drawn some key important lessons from its first fight against galamsey and is willing to rather promote a regulated small scale mining contrarily to views being held that government is against small scale mining
“President Akufo-Addo and his government are not against mining in Ghana neither are we against small scale mining, in-fact on the contrary, we want to promote small scale mining and we want to do so on a regulated basis and a responsible manner that does not compromise the river bodies and the environment” he emphasized.
Mr. Abu Jinapor further revealed that the forestry commission has been directed not to issue any license or permit to any individual or group of persons
“Since I became a minister I have issued a directive to forestry commission to no longer issue permit for mining in the forest, it will mean that no one can walk into any forest to mine, forests and river bodies are red lines no one should cross’’, the minister warned.
He also directed all Regional Ministers across the country to take full control and responsibility for the security components of the fight against galamsey.
Mr Jinapor called on all and sundry not to see the fight against as that of only the business of government but a national duty to safeguard our polluted rivers bodies and the depleted forests.
Mr Jinapor is among a high powered government delegation led by Water and Sanitation Minister, Cecilia Abena Dapaah, Information Minister Kojo Oppong Nkrumah, Western Regional Minister Kwabena Okyere Darko-Mensah, Managing Director for Ghana Water Company Clifford Braimah, and other officials who are on three days working visit to the Western Region to assess the extent of damage caused on river bodies by illegal miners.