The Acting Chief Executive Officer of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), Prof. Nana Ama Klutse, has disclosed ambitious plans to rid Ghana’s water bodies of illegal mining activities. However, she has also raised concerns about the agency’s limited resources in fighting the menace.
Speaking on UTV on Monday, June 2, Prof. Klutse lamented the lack of necessary equipment and personnel to effectively combat illegal mining.
“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 said.
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 who are responsible for monitoring and regulating Ghana’s forests and water bodies are unarmed.
Prof. Klutse also underscored the high cost of deploying national security operatives and the military 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.
The EPA chief further stated that with only five helicopters and guns, she could eliminate illegal miners contaminating Ghana’s water bodies within two weeks.
Prof. Klutse also revealed that the EPA plans to release a nationwide map detailing all contaminated river bodies but estimated that around 90% of Ghana’s waterways have been affected
Source: Ebenezer De-Gaulle
