Konongo under galamsey siege
The residents of Konongo in the Ashanti Region are growing increasingly concerned about the escalating illegal mining activities in the area.
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Despite government assurances to curb the menace, the activities of these illegal miners, locally referred to as "galamseyers," continue to thrive, leaving a trail of destruction and chaos in their wake.
One of the most striking examples of this is an ongoing mining operation located just a few meters away from the main Konongo-Accra highway.
In an interview with the head pastor of New Life Church of Light located at Konongo, Rev. Raphael Oppong, he said the illegal mining situation in the area was an eyesore and a blot to the conscience of persons in authority who had the mandate to stop the menace."
The illegal miners have destroyed the vegetation so much that the residents of this area feel helpless. Owerri River, which is the main source of water supply for us is getting so polluted and no one seems to care about it.
"The police are doing nothing about it; the chiefs are not taking any action; the District Assembly has not taken action and even the Minerals Commission Office here in Konongo said they do not know anything about what is happening," he said.
He stressed that if nothing was done to stop the illegal mining activities, the residents of Konongo would mobilise and stage a demonstration to fight for their right."Our leaders, including the Member of Parliament, want people to die before they act; but we will demonstrate and fight to stop it," he said.
Minerals Commission
According to 3News, the operation, which is visible to motorists and passersby, had been deemed illegal by both the Minerals Commission and the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). According to the Konongo Area Head of the EPA to Dawood Abass, one had been issued a mining license for the site, making any mining activity there illegal.
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A galamsey site
"We received a letter from the Asante Akim Central Municipal Assembly that they wanted to undertake a dredging exercise to prevent flooding," Mr Abass explained.
"So, whatever is taking place there aside from the dredging activity is illegal since no company or individual has been given the license to mine there. We will visit there and inform the appropriate quarters for action," he told 3News
Highway under threat
The situation is not only alarming but also poses significant challenges to contractors working on the four bypasses along the Accra-Kumasi Highway.
The bypasses, which are being constructed to alleviate congestion and reduce the high incidence of accidents on the highway, are being hindered by the aftermath of illegal mining activities.
At the Osino and Anyinam sites, miners had left pits uncovered, creating hazardous and swampy conditions that were difficult to manage, especially during the rainy season.
The situation is problematic at the Konongo bypass site, where contractors are struggling to fill the swampy areas with boulders to stabilize the ground.
Construction timeline
These issues significantly impede the construction timeline and increase the complexity of the work. According to Dolittle Kwaku Sintim-Aboagye, team leader of the consulting firm for the Osino bypass, STIM Limited, compensation payments to affected parties and adverse rainfall were also affecting the project's progress.
"We have some mining companies and they have their terrace ponds, and our alignments go through these terrace ponds, so it's either we shift the ponds or go through them, and we decided to go through them, and that meant the mining companies must decommission these terrace ponds, and that is also taking some time, and it's affecting us," Sintim-Aboagye explained.
The persistence of illegal mining activities has also led to tragic incidents. In June last year, three galamseyers were killed in a pit collapse at Konongo-Odumase in the Asante Akim Central Municipality of the Ashanti Region.
The incident occurred when the pit collapsed while the illegal miners were excavating gold deposits. One miner escaped, but the other two were trapped and died.
The bodies were retrieved from the pit with the help of a local excavator operator and community members and taken to the morgue for further examination and identification.
Such pit cave-ins had become commonplace in mining communities in Ghana, despite efforts by the authorities to put a stop to illegal small-scale mining.
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The continued thriving of illegal mining activities has left residents and contractors questioning the government's commitment to ending the galamsey menace, despite the resources invested in the fight against it.
The situation has become a source of frustration and concern, and required urgent attention.