Unblock Birim River within 5 days

Ghana Consolidated Diamonds Limited (GCD), a mining entity at Akwatia in the Eastern Region, has been directed to dredge the section of the Birim River at Adankrano that has been blocked by illegal miners within five days.

The Kwaebibiriem Municipal Chief Executive (MCE), Emmanuel Kofi Nti, gave the directive after the Municipal Security Committee’s (MUSEC) fact-finding mission to the area confirmed that the flow of the Birim River had been diverted by illegal miners.

One of the alleged illegal miners was identified as one of the over 500 tributers of GCD operating within the Adankrano enclave.

Visit

The security team, which included police personnel from Akwatia, Kade and Asuom, and the National Investigations Bureau (NIB), were led to the site by the chief of Adankrano, Nana Osabarima Sarpong Kumankuma II, and his elders as well as officials of GCD.

The visit was in response to a publication by the Daily Graphic last Thursday that some illegal miners had blocked the flow of the Birim River at Adankrano, putting the lives and livelihoods of the residents in danger.

The front-page story indicated that the galamsey operators had also left behind gaping pits that were closer to houses.

The story named one Mr Birikorang, a tributer with GCD, as being behind the illegal mining activities that led to the blocking of the Birim River.

Following that report, Mr Nti led the security team to the area on a fact-finding mission and was astonished by the level of devastation caused by the illegal miners.

Observations

True to the Daily Graphic account, the team observed that buffer zones of the Birim River had been devastated by the illegal miners while the course of the river had been diverted.

Contrary to the earlier claims by the management of GCD that the encroached buffer zones had been reclaimed, MUSEC observed that the exercise was not properly done.

Some sections of the Birim River had virtually been turned into a muddy pool whose milky-brown water struggled to flow.

It also came to light that two excavators whose control boards were removed when Osabarima Kumankuma II and the security operatives from GCD went to the galamsey sites had been released to their owner in circumstances shrouded in suspicion of collusion.

The Chief Security Officer of GCD, Kwame Awudi, explained that when the team got to the site on the day of the operation last month, the illegal miners absconded and left behind the two excavators.

“We removed the control boards of those excavators and took them to our office; but later, the National Democratic Congress (NDC) constituency chairmen for Kade and Akwatia came for the control boards, and the excavators have since been moved away from the site,” he said.

While Osabarima Kumankuma II insisted that those excavators belonged to Mr Birikorang, the GCD security officer said the equipment belonged to “a certain woman” who they described as a trespasser of Birikorang’s concession area.

“The site where illegal mining took place was allocated to Mr Birikorang and he mined it and left the buffer as required by law.

Later, he complained to the company (GCD) that some excavators were working in the buffer and polluting the Birim River, and that is why we went to the site,” he added.

When the Daily Graphic asked Mr Awudi if he knew the identity of the so-called trespasser, he said “it is the Kade NDC Chairman who can tell the person’s identity because they came to plead for the equipment to be released to the person,” he said.

Touching on the directive by the Kwaebibiriem MCE to the company to reclaim the devastated area within the buffer zone, he said GCD management would take a decision on the issue.

“The directive has been given today (May 17) and it is Saturday; we will brief the Managing Director of the company on Monday so that we see what to do,” he said.

Action needed

Osabarima Kumankuma II stood his ground, insisting that Mr Birikorang was to blame for the pollution of the Birim River.

“When we got to the site that day upon a tip off from informants, Birikorang and his boys ran away, leaving the excavators; and the GCD security team took out the control boards, but Birikorang followed up later for the devices,” he said.

The chief called on higher authorities to get involved in the matter to help unravel the circumstances under which the excavators were moved out of the illegal mining site.

“The lives of the residents of Adankrano are at risk and we cannot watch on for these galamsey activities to continue; so whoever is complicit in it must be dealt with,” Osabarima Kumankuma stressed.

MCE’s response

When the Daily Graphic sought answers from the Kwaebibiriem MCE on the allegations made by both sides on the missing excavators and the way forward, he said it was the first time he was learning about the issue and not much could be said about it until he checked further.

More to the point, he said the fact-finding mission had the blessing of the Eastern Regional Minister, Rita Akosua Adjei Awatey, so the report would be sent to her for the needed action to be taken on the findings.

Commitment

When the Daily Graphic reached out to the Eastern Regional Minister for an interview, she said the report from the MCE about the galamsey activities had not reached her yet, so she could not say much on the issue.

“I am aware of the fact-finding visit by the Kwaebibiriem MCE. I will receive a briefing from him on Monday and act accordingly,” she said.

Ms Awatey said she was committed to taking bold steps to ensure that the galamsey menace was brought under control within the Eastern Region.

“I am not a lazy minister; I have been proactive in the fight against illegal mining, and as soon as there is an issue, I follow up,” she added.