The Commission placed a ban on clay mining on January 19, 2021, due to the devastating effect of the menace on the lands in the area.
The Mining Taskforce of the Commission and the Shama District Assembly, therefore, teamed up to arrest persons who flouted the ban.
Assistant Officer for Mining Duties at the Minerals Commission, Bismark Ekuam, said 15 persons have so far been arrested. Assistant Officer for Mining Duties at the Minerals Commission, Bismark Ekuam
He noted that the taskforce also seized one excavator and four trucks during its routine visit to mine sites.
“We were going on our routine visit to the mining areas to see what is happening after the ban that was issued by the District Assembly. On our way to Beposo, we met some trucks carrying clay, the very material which was banned by the District Assembly,” he said, as quoted by Citinewsroom.
The Technical Committee of the Shama District Assembly has taken a firm decision to ban the activities of illegal clay mining in the District.
A task force has thus, been set up by the assembly to combat the operations of illegal clay miners.
Mr Joseph Amoah, the District Chief Executive (DCE) and Head of the Technical Committee who made this known in an interview with GNA, explained that illegal clay mining was destroying the arable land of the area and those interested in engaging in clay mining must acquire the necessary licenses and permit to do so.
Dr Henry Kwabena Kokofu, Executive Director of Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), in his recent visit to the district expressed concern about the deplorable nature of the arable lands in the area mainly due to the activities of illegal clay mining.
Water crisis hit Aboadze, Abuesi communities
Residents of Aboadze and Abuesi, two fishing communities in the Shama District of the Western Region, have been battling perennial water shortage for the past nine months. Trekking to the Volta River Authority (VRA) area and to Inchaban, a nearby town with the yellow gallons, popularly known as ‘Kufuor gallons,’ in search of water have become a daily routine for the residents, particularly women and children. The situation, they say, is affecting their socio-economic activities. In an interview with the Ghana News Agency (GNA), the assembly members for the two communities; Mr Emmanuel Avevor for Aboadze, and Mr Ezekiel Acquah, for Abusie, and some unit committee members, indicated that efforts to get the problem solved had not been successful.
Water crisis hit Aboadze, Abuesi LISTEN
DEC 21, 2020
Residents of Aboadze and Abuesi, two fishing communities in the Shama District of the Western Region have been battling with perennial water shortage for the past nine months.
Trekking to the Volta River Authority (VRA) area and to Inchaban, a nearby town with the yellow gallons, popularly known as Kufuor gallons, in search of water have become a daily routine for the residents, particularly women and children.
The situation, they say, is affecting their socio-economic activities.
In an interview with the Ghana News Agency (GNA), the assembly members for the two communities; Mr Emmanuel Avevor for Aboadze, and Mr Ezekiel Acquah, for Abusie, and some unit committee members, indicated that efforts to get the problem solved had not been successful.