The Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the Minerals Commission, Mr Martin Ayisi, has said the commission and security agencies will patrol river bodies with speed boats as part of measures to end illegal mining along river bodies.
The CEO said this on Sunday at a press conference following a video circulating on social media about an alleged illegal mining activity on the Offin River.
Mr Ayisi noted the alleged video was under investigation and the necessary action would be taken to deal with it and any other illegal activities.
He said in the last two years, the government through the Ministry of Lands and Natural Resources and the Commission had introduced several measures to deal with illegal mining popularly referred to as “galamsey”.
Some of these measures, he mentioned, include the introduction of Operation Halt, revamping community mining schemes, distribution of 100 mercury-free equipment to ensure responsible mining and the inauguration of District Mining Committees to monitor and supervise small-scale operations.
He asserted that as part of all those enforcement mechanisms, intelligence gathering has also been enhanced on all fronts to ensure that the fight was properly fought and won.
Mr Ayisi said a tracking regulation has been passed with a tracking control room to be functional in September in addition to the permanent patrols, adding that the tracking, together with drones would be connected to control systems and hoisted over the rivers to frequent reports.
The CEO assured the public of its unflinching commitment to sanitising the small-scale mining sector.
Irene Wirekoaa Osei, ISD