NAIMOS LAUNCHES FIERCE CRACKDOWN ON GALAMSEY IN ATWIMA MPONUA FOREST, SEIZES EXCAVATORS

The National Inter-Ministerial Committee on Illegal Mining Operational Squad (NAIMOS) has launched a major offensive against illegal mining in the Atwima Mponua Forest of the Ashanti Region, seizing several excavators and other heavy equipment used in galamsey activities.

The operation, carried out under tight security, follows growing concerns about the alarming destruction of Ghana’s forests, water bodies, and farmlands caused by illegal mining. Officials say the seized equipment will not only cripple the operations of galamsey operators but also serve as a strong warning to others engaged in similar unlawful activities.

The Devastating Effects of Galamsey

Illegal mining, popularly known as galamsey, continues to pose some of the gravest environmental, social, and economic threats to Ghana’s future:

• Water Pollution: Rivers such as Pra, Offin, and Ankobra have turned brown with silt and mercury contamination, making them unsafe for human consumption and forcing the Ghana Water Company to spend millions on treatment.
• Deforestation: Large tracts of forests, including reserves like Atwima Mponua, have been destroyed, leading to the loss of biodiversity and worsening climate change effects.
• Farmland Destruction: Productive agricultural lands are being dug up, threatening food security and displacing farming communities.
• Health Hazards: Mercury and other chemicals used in mining poison water sources, increasing cases of kidney disease, cancer, and birth defects in affected communities.
• Economic Losses: While galamsey enriches a few in the short term, the nation loses billions in potential revenue, agricultural productivity, and environmental rehabilitation costs.
• Social Unrest: The lure of quick money has led many young people to abandon education and farming, creating pockets of lawlessness and undermining social order.

Call for National Unity in the Fight

Authorities stress that the Atwima Mponua operation is part of a broader government crackdown to reclaim the country’s forests and water bodies. They are urging traditional leaders, local assemblies, and residents to collaborate with security agencies to expose and stop illegal mining activities.

Environmentalists, however, caution that unless enforcement is sustained and alternative livelihoods are provided, galamsey will resurface. They argue that the fight against illegal mining must go beyond raids and seizures to include community engagement, stricter laws, and the political will to prosecute offenders without fear or favour.

The Atwima Mponua crackdown demonstrates government’s renewed determination to tackle the menace, but the question remains whether these efforts will finally turn the tide in Ghana’s long and difficult war against galamsey.