The Sanitation and Water Resources Committee of Parliament is set to undertake a crucial one-week tour of illegal mining sites, commonly known as “galamsey” areas, beginning September 25, 2024.
The tour will take the Committee members through major regions that have been severely impacted by illegal mining activities, which include the Eastern, Western, and Ashanti regions of Ghana.
This initiative is in direct response to the growing environmental and water resource challenges posed by galamsey activities, which have long been a thorn in the side of both national and local authorities.
According to the Committee, the tour aims to provide firsthand insight into the severity of the damage being inflicted by these illegal mining activities, with a particular focus on water bodies that have been severely polluted.
Chairman of the Committee, John Oti Bless, emphasised the need for immediate and practical interventions to curb the menace.
The Chairman also accused the government of inaction.
“The committee has scheduled a tour to visit the various serious galamsey sites, especially on our water bodies, where the activities of the galamsey have really impacted negatively in Ashanti, Eastern and the Western regions. So on the 25th of this month, the committee is going to embark on a one-week tour of these three regions.
“It is a serious issue. Today, under Akufo-Addo’s government, they have reduced the military to nothing…why don’t they put the military in those areas?”
John Oti Bless added that with the devastating impact of galamsey, it has become clear that urgent and decisive measures are needed to turn the ongoing destructions in mining communities.