The Eastern Regional Office of the Forestry Commission has announced plans to station Forest Guards and Security Operatives at the Atewa Forest Reserve to check illegal miners.
The Atewa Forest reserve is the headwaters of three important rivers in the country – Densu, Birim and Ayensu – which are essential sources of domestic, agricultural and industrial water for local communities and many of Ghana’s major population centres.
Since the ban on small scale and illegal mining, the Atewa Forest Reserve which is a Global Biodiversity Significant Area, has become a “save haven” for illegal miners from across many mining communities in Eastern region and even outside the region as well as foreign illegal miners.
The illegal miners have established many camping tents inside the Atewa Forest Reserve to operate.
Their modus operandi make it difficult for the handful of under resourced Forest Guards manning the forest to notice. However, the guards have been able to make at least 150 arrests since 2017.
Starr News’ Eastern regional correspondent Kojo Ansah during a media tour conducted by the regional Forestry Commission in the Atewa Forest observed about 1.5km Square of the natural reserve have been degraded, particularly in the upstream part of the three major rivers.
It came to light that the illegal miners were discharging cyanide into the rivers which had to be later treated for public consumption. The guards also found pieces of marijuana, sachets of tramadol, and bottles of alcohol within the tents of the miners.
The Eastern Regional Forestry Manager, Yaw Atuahene Nyarko, said the regional branch needs additional Forest Guards and logistics to pitch camp in the Forest to clampdown on the menace.
“We’re are thinking of pitching camp here for sometime or periodically so that when they enter the forest we can see and clampdown on them. The level of destruction is quite scary and what is more worrying is that they are mining in the river bodies,” he said.
The Begoro District Manager of the Forestry Commission, Kwame Oteng Awuah said they have appealed to government to provide alternate livelihood for illegal miners who have lost their livelihood as a result of the ban on small scale mining.
Source: Ghana/Starrfmonline.com/103.5FM/Kojo Ansah
