The Acting Chief Executive Officer of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), Prof. Nana Ama Browne Klutse, has revealed she can clear all illegal miners polluting our water bodies in two weeks.
Speaking on UTV on Monday, June 2, Prof. Klutse stressed the need for a more radical approach to tackling illegal mining to protect our water bodies.
“We have declared galamsey as war, why are we not approaching it as war? EPA doesn’t have the resources to get into a warfront* ,”she lamented.
She highlighted the dangers faced by environmental monitoring agencies, explaining that while illegal miners operate under armed protection, officials from the EPA and Forestry Commission, responsible for protecting Ghana’s forests and water bodies, remain unarmed.
The EPA chief also emphasized the financial strain of deploying national security operatives and military personnel for enforcement operations.
“When I go out to conduct operations, I go with the military and national security operatives on that front. How many times can I pay these military operatives? Whenever we go out, it’s expensive. That’s where the problem is,” she explained.
Despite these challenges, she remains confident that with sufficient resources, illegal miners polluting Ghana’s water bodies can be swiftly removed.
“As EPA, I need 5 helicopters, a couple of guns and two weeks, I will clear all those along polluting our water bodies with” she declared.
Prof. Klutse further disclosed that the EPA is preparing to release a comprehensive map of Ghana, highlighting all contaminated river bodies. She hinted that an alarming 90% of the country’s water sources have been affected by pollution.
Source: Ebenezer De-Gaulle.
