The National Anti-Illegal Mining Operations Secretariat (NAIMOS) has destroyed more than 35 changfan machines and arrested two illegal miners during a two-day operation in the Bibiani-Anhwiaso-Bekwai Municipal District.
The enforcement action on May 28 and 29 targeted illegal mining sites within the Merewa-Awaso community where operators had invaded lawful concessions and diverted sections of the Ankobra and Tano Rivers.
Seven water pumping machines were dismantled and several makeshift structures were set ablaze.
The taskforce said the operators had poisoned both rivers with mining wastewater and left the forest with unfenced pits, abandoned excavations, and stagnant pools that pose risks to residents and livestock.
The operation began at 10:10 a.m. on Thursday, May 28, at an active galamsey enclave in Merewa-Awaso. Miners fled on sighting the taskforce. Two were arrested after a chase through the bush.
They have been identified as Emmanuel Atassor, 23, and Alhassan Mumuni, 24.
Both have been handed over to the Sefwi Bekwai District Police Headquarters for investigation and possible prosecution.
More than 20 changfan machines and all structures at the site were destroyed that day.
On Friday, May 29, the taskforce moved deeper into the forest.
Operators had posted sentries along access routes and abandoned the site before the team arrived. No arrests were made on the second day.
The team destroyed 15 additional changfan machines, dismantled seven water pumps, and burnt mining equipment found at the location.
NAIMOS described the damage to the Ankobra River as severe, with sections of the watercourse barely recognizable due to diversions and pollution.
The taskforce said the illegal activity had shifted from artisanal mining to an organised industrial-scale operation.
The secretariat assured residents of Merewa-Awaso, Bibiani, Anhwiaso, Bekwai, and communities along the Ankobra and Tano corridors that operations will continue until the rivers run clean and abandoned pits are secured.
NAIMOS said the taskforce would sustain the campaign to ensure that financiers of illegal mining understand that the forests of the Western North will not serve as sanctuaries for environmental destruction.
Source: Kwadwo Baffour Atuahene
