Growing illegal mining activities in the Banda District of the Bono Region threaten the operations of the Bui Generating Station (BGS) in the district, Mr Joseph Akwaboah, the Bono Regional Minister, has said.
He said the nation could not lose such a great asset and therefore called for concerted and decisive measures to stem the illegal mining activities and protect the Station. Mr Akwaboah raised the concerns when he led some members of the Bono Regional Security Council to visit and assess the level of destruction caused by illegal mining activities going on in the Wenchi Municipality and Banda District.
The visit took them to the Nipakro and Surobokrom illegal mining sites in the Banda District and another site at Branam in the Wenchi Municipality of the region. Akwaboah expressed worry about the devastating effects of the illegal mining activities having a huge toll on forest resources and cashew plantations in the Banda District.
“The Galamsey issue is thought to be confined to the Western and Central regions and parts of the country, but I never believed that Banda is experiencing a worse situation which caused environmental alteration,” the Regional Minister indicated.
Mr Akwaboah stressed the need to implement pragmatic measures and realistic strategies to stem the menace, prevent destruction of the environment, and protect the BGS.
“If the menace does not stem immediately, that can affect the operations of the BGS and destroy water bodies in the area too,” he stated, saying, “we can’t afford to compromise the operations of the BGS, which provides electricity and water for many communities”.
Mr Akwaboah cautioned chiefs who released lands for illegal mining activities to stop the bad practice or be prosecuted, worrying that “some are supporting these illegal activities”.
He also appealed to farmers not to sell their cashew farms to the illegal miners, saying the government would soon establish a cashew industry in the area to widen the income of farmers and enhance their socio-economic livelihoods while creating job opportunities for the people. Mr Akwaboah urged the unemployed youth in the area to show interest and enroll in government employable skills training programmes and to find decent jobs for themselves.
By Regina Benneh, GNA.
