Lands minister decries residential accommodation close to quarry sites

The siting of residential accommodation close to quarry sites in the country has been described as a ‘disaster in waiting’ if nothing is done immediately.  

The Minister of Lands and Natural Resources, Nii Osah Mills, recalled the explosion at Peabo near Nsawam that claimed two lives and injured many and called on all stakeholders to take a cue from that.                                                                    

Nii Mills, during a working visit to Ablekuma in the Ga West District to ascertain the level of encroachment on state lands, expressed shock at the proximity of residential homes around a quarry section of real estate developer, Regimanuel Gray Limited.

"The quarry site has virtually been invaded - buildings are everywhere and as close as 20 metres, while others are springing up quickly. This is a real danger," he stated. 

Without recourse to the laws, residents around quarry sites build houses as close as 100 metres in some circumstances, posing greater danger to their lives and property. 

Encroachment

Encroachment on state lands, a growing phenomenon in recent times, is taking a different dimension as lands close to quarry sites have become the new targets posing danger to life and property. 

Greenbelts created around quarry sites to serve as a buffer zone to meet the mandatory obligation under the law which allow for at least 500 metres human residency around quarry sites appear to be violated. 

In December last year, an explosion at the Peabo quarry site in the Nsawam-Adoagyiri municipality in the Eastern Region claimed two lives, injuring several others and destroying properties worth thousands of Ghana cedis. 

On the Tema-Ho highway for instance, quarry sites are littered along the Shai Hills with communities dangerously living just a stone’s throw away from them.

Some other quarries affected by encroachment include ESM Company Limited at Budumburam. 

The company, which occupied the land about 30 years when the area was bushy, now has its lands encroached upon, making it difficult for operation since its buffer zones have been encroached. 

Inter-sectorial collaboration

The phenomenon, the minister said, needed inter-sectorial collaboration between his office and other relevant agencies under his ministry, the respective regional coordinating councils and local assemblies for a lasting solution. 

The effects of locating homes close to quarry sites include cracks in buildings caused by blasts and explosions, while dust that emanate from the sites result in respiratory ailments, especially in children. 

The Commercial Quarry Operators Association (COQOA), the mother union of quarry companies, at a seminar in Accra to educate the media on their operations, expressed concern over the indiscriminate invasion of their sites. 

Utility providers to blame

Mr.E. Y. Sarpong, an executive member of the COQOA, however, blamed utility service providers for encouraging the encroachment. 

He identified the provision of water and electricity to such communities as the reasons why people continued to habitat around their operation sites. 

In a television interview in March, he said "authorities don't care. Why should the electricity company give power to people around explosive magazines? I can't understand."

Currently, an estimated six million tonnes of quarry stones are produced annually in the country, half of the country's demand, creating over 100,000 jobs. 

The Chief Inspector of Mines at the Minerals Commission, Mr Obiri-Yeboah Twumasi, in an interview, said the situation posed danger to residents living around the sites. 

Asked why the commission had allowed residencies to spring up around the quarry enclaves, he said his outfit could not be blamed for the encroachment. 

Assemblies share blame

He blamed the district assemblies in which the quarry sites were located for failing to enforce the laws. 

"We just regulate mining of the stones. Persons who sell the land to developers and the district assemblies are supposed to ensure that people don't violate that buffer zone regulation which is a law", he stated. 

He said the commission had on several occasions called the attention of the assemblies to the development but day in and day out, it got worse with houses springing up closer to the sites. 

Although the assemblies haven't done enough to deter people from building close to the sites, Mr Twumasi said "it all comes to the indisciplined nature of the Ghanaian and the disrespect for the laws of the country."

Out of over 180 licensed quarry companies in the country, he said 81 of them had been permitted to operate this year and at all the sites the invasion was widespread.  

He described the development as a "disaster in waiting" which will strike the country if the assemblies do not enforce Legislative Instrument 2177 which sets the rules for stone quarrying and desist from being emotional in the aftermath of the enforcement.