Battle for the River Offin: Small-Scale Miners Take the Fight Against Galamsey Into Their Own Hands

The sun had barely risen over the banks of the River Mankran when the sound of engines broke the quiet. But this time, they were not the roaring Chang Fa machines of illegal miners, they were the taskforce of the National Concerned Small Scale Miners Association, moving in to reclaim the river.

Armed with determination rather than weapons, the group launched a sweeping operation through the Ahafo Ano South-West District, tearing down makeshift washing points and destroying the floating rigs that had turned the once-clear waters of the River Mankran, a tributary of the Offin, into a stream of sludge.

For years, residents of Nyamedomso, a farming community near Mankranso, have watched helplessly as the river, their only source of drinking water, turned brown from the waste of illegal miners. Today, they finally saw someone fighting back.

“The river is dying, and with it, our future,” said Bresi Andoh, leader of the taskforce. “We, the legal miners, can’t sit and watch our image destroyed. This fight is ours now.”

The operation is part of a growing self-policing campaign by licensed small-scale miners to rid Ghana’s water bodies of illegal operations. The group says the Ministry of Lands and Natural Resources is aware of their actions and supports their efforts to promote responsible mining.

The District Chief Executive, Abubakar Sedik, praised the initiative, promising to strengthen local enforcement. “I’ll personally ensure these illegal miners don’t return,” he said.

As smoke rose from the burnt-out engines left behind by the fleeing miners, the air filled with the smell of diesel and the promise of renewal. For the first time in years, the water began to settle, not yet clean, but reclaiming its right to flow.

President of the Association, Michael Kwadwo Peprah, says the mission won’t stop until the Offin and other polluted rivers are restored. “This is about protecting our water, our image, and our survival,” he said.

If their determination holds, the River Offin might once again run clear, not by government decree, but by the hands of those who once depended on it for their livelihood.