The Environmental Protection Authority (EPA) has banned the fabrication, importation, sale, and use of “Chanfan” machines in Ghana, citing their destructive impact on the environment, particularly water bodies.
This move comes amid investigations that several individuals and workshops in Ghana were producing these machines without the required environmental permits or authorization, in violation of Act 1124 and the Environmental Protection (Environmental Assessment) Regulations, 2025 (L.I. 2504).
In a statement dated Wednesday, October 29, EPA noted that while the production of Chanfan machines had provided livelihoods for some, their use in illegal river mining operations had caused devastating consequences, including pollution of water bodies, siltation of riverbeds, and the destruction of aquatic ecosystems.
“IN EXERCISE of the powers conferred on the Environmental Protection Authority under sections 3(2)(b) and 35 of the Environmental Protection Act, 2025 (Act 1124), and in accordance with the mandate of the Authority to regulate, protect and co-ordinate all matters relating to the environment, including to restrict, or prohibit activities that pose serious risks to the environment and public health,” the statement said.
The Authority added that workshops or shops found producing or selling the banned machines would be shut down, and all equipment seized and dismantled.
It also issued a final warning to individuals, groups, and companies engaged in illegal mining within rivers to cease operations immediately, stressing that such acts violate national environmental and mining regulations.
The EPA further disclosed that enforcement operations, in collaboration with security agencies, would be intensified to ensure full compliance through monitoring, seizure, and prosecution where necessary while calling on the public to report violations.
Below is a copy of the statement
Source: Starrfm.com.gh
