THE AMANSIE South District Security Council chaired by Clement Opoku Gyamfi, District Chief Executive (DCE), has intensified measures to clampdown on activities of illegal miners in water bodies and forest reserves.

On Sunday, some divers trained and sponsored by the assembly caught five persons who claimed were from Atebubu at Manso Keniago portion of the Offin river.

The five were seen with some locally made washing equipment and power generators on the waters.

Earlier on Monday morning, the five were referred to the Bekwai Circuit where the Presiding Judge remanded them for two weeks to be spent at the Kumasi Central Prisons.

Meanwhile, two other illegal miners were also caught mining on a water body at Manso Adubia Monday morning and at the time of filing this report they were behind bars to be sent to court on Tuesday.

Details:

Speaking to the media after a DISEC meeting Monday afternoon, the DCE said the Assembly would be ruthless on illegal miners henceforth, disclosing that as at the time of the briefing, 30 persons had been arrested so far in the district.

He mentioned that the security Council had strategized on how to chase miners from the water bodies and the forest reserves.

Together with the Minerals Commission,  Forestry Commission and the National Disaster Management Organisation, (NADMO), Opoku Gyamfi said the assembly would use expert advice to chase the illegal miners from Amansie South.

“I must confess these illegal miners have been giving us a hell of a time but with our renewed focus we will use every legal and ruthless force to chase them out from water bodies and forest reserves in this district”, the DCE stressed.

Tour:

Visiting the communities in the Amansie South, there were visible signs of destruction of water bodies and forest covers.

Almost every community in the district had signs of mining activity and the effects were devastating with waters turning brownish.

NADMO Director:

Edward Oduro Nsiah, Amansie-South District Director of NADMO said the illegal miners go to the river bodies at dawn to conduct their activities.

Some, he revealed also visit sites at 6pm in the evening when official activity had ended at the Assembly.

“My brother this is what we are facing here but with our new strategy we will flush them out because we have trained some people to drive them out from the waters and forest reserves”, the NADMO director noted.

By Michael Ofosu-Afriyie 

Kumasi