Illegal mining operations have caused three significant river bodies in the Suaman and Bodi Districts in the Western North Region to turn murky.
Locals in the region have pleaded with the authorities to step in immediately.
The principal river bodies in the Suaman and Bodi Districts in the Western North Region have been significantly impacted by illegal mining, which has negatively impacted the condition of the local rivers.
Due to the actions of illicit miners, important rivers including the Bia, Sui, Benzemata, and Torya have all transformed into muck.
The ecosystems and aquatic life are destroyed by these illicit miners who take minerals out of the riverbeds. As a result, the rivers get poisoned and useless. To take advantage of the rivers, they use machinery like excavators and changfa machines.
The Suaman Traditional Council in Dadieso conducted a ceremony and issued curses approximately two years ago in an effort to discourage people from mining in the local water bodies, specifically the water Bia and Sui.
The ritual’s leader, Nana Nkyechi Payin, the Adumhene of the Suaman Traditional Council, explained that the intention was to ask for heavenly intervention to shield the rivers from the activities of unauthorized miners.
In Bia Kotoko, a farming community in the Suaman District, Nana Nkyeche called on the river gods to punish anyone who disobeyed their orders during a rite conducted at the banks of the River Bia.
But in spite of the ritual, there has been a spike in illicit mining activity and a miners’ population. Many excavators and changfa equipment have been stationed there and are working day and night.
Previously renowned for their agricultural output, the Suaman and Bodi Districts are now hubs for illicit mining, or “galamsey,” with little to no concern from the government.
In addition to the river bodies, illicit miners have devastated a large number of cocoa fields.
In an interview with Adom News, a few local farmers and people mentioned how tough it was to get clean water for their everyday tasks.
As a result, they made a plea to the authorities, including the police and Richard Joojo Obeng, the Western North Regional Minister, to step in.
