Sand winning along the Lower Volta River is destroying communities, polluting water, and wrecking roads from Akuse through Aveyime, Battor, and all the way to Ada.
The once quiet riverine towns are now filled with the constant noise of machines and trucks working day after day.
Fuels and lubricants from the equipment run directly into the Volta River. For communities that depend on the river for drinking water, the contamination poses a serious health risk.
Aquatic life is also being wiped out. Excavations along the banks have created deep pits and fast-moving currents. Areas that were once used for swimming have turned into death traps.
The impact on infrastructure is just as severe. Heavy-duty trucks carrying waterlogged sand from the winning sites move through Battor, Aveyime and towards Sege daily. The fragile roads cannot cope. Huge potholes and broken sections now make movement difficult for residents and other road users.
Sand winning is visible across the entire stretch of the Lower Volta, yet enforcement appears weak.
The Environmental Protection Authority (EPA) is mandated under the Environmental Protection Act to regulate activities that harm the environment and to ensure the sustainable use of natural resources.
With the destruction mounting, the EPA must act on its mandate and urgently halt illegal sand winning in the Volta River to protect the ecosystem, livelihoods and public roads.
