The District Chief Executive (DCE) for Atiwa East, Ernest Owusu Ntim, has begun deploying gas welders with anti-illegal-mining taskforces to dismantle Changfa boats and other equipment used for illegal mining on the Birim River, a move he says is more effective and deterrent than the traditional practice of burning or simply damaging engines.
On Friday, the first gas welder was deployed together with the anti-galamsey taskforce formed by the Assembly onto the Birim river.
The welder cuts the Changfa machines and boat into pieces as scraps leaving nothing behind.
Speaking to journalists, the DCE, Ernest Owusu Ntim, said the district has long battled illegal mining and, after reviewing past enforcement efforts, concluded that burning and destroying engines alone was not enough because those engines were relatively cheap and easily replaced.
“When they burn or destroy the engine, the people can easily get another one. The engine costs around GH₵10,000 – they replace it and come back. But the boat – the base that the engine sits on, is expensive, roughly GH₵80,000 to GH₵100,000. If we dismantle the boat,cut all the metals into pieces,they will find it very difficult to return,” he said.
The DCE explained further that with the new strategy, trained welders will be hired to accompany the taskforce to cut apart and render boats unusable.
“So as a team, when we made a review, we realised the only way out to eliminate this [illegal mining] on the Birim River is to hire the service of welders… once we go, we dismantle the boat itself, which will be very difficult to replace. When they come back, they will see nothing,” he added.
Mr. Ntim believes the approach will discourage investors and financiers who build the Changfa machines for desperate young people to mine from the river arguing that losing a GH₵100,000 boat is a much stronger deterrent than losing an engine that can be replaced at lower cost.
The DCE, an indigene familiar with the local mining dynamics, said he has worked in partnership with community leadership since taking office and has declared all river bodies in the district “no-go” areas for illegal mining.
He said the community leaders including chiefs have become watchdogs over their own rivers .
This community based approach model, the DCE says is working perfectly in dealing with illegal mining on the rivers.
Source: Starrfm.com.gh
