Ghanaian President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo ordered the military to take steps to halt mining in water bodies across the country, said a statement here on Wednesday.
“President Akufo-Addo has authorized the Ghana Armed Forces to commence an operation to remove all persons and logistics involved in mining from Ghana’s water bodies,” said the statement signed by Kojo Oppong-Nkrumah, the Minister for Information.
It said the president’s instruction was in line with the resolutions reached in the recent stakeholder dialogue on small-scale mining, to ensure that mining in water bodies is halted immediately.
“The operation which started on the River Pra in the Central and Western regions of Ghana involves 200 officers of the Ghana Armed Forces,” added the statement.
The Ghana Water Company, the state water utility, has halted operations in some communities as the turbidity of raw water in these communities has gone far beyond treatment levels, due to illegal mining activities. Enditem
