'We're not responsible for the destruction of water bodies' - Large Scale miners

The secretary of the Association of Local Mining Contractors, Mr. Samuel Aboagye, has denied allegations that some large-scale miners have contributed to the degradation of lands and water bodies in the country. According to him, those who rather degrade the lands and water bodies are the small scale miners and those who do galamsey. His comments follow the recent arrest of some illegal miners in the Eastern Region. 125 people who engaged in illegal mining (galamsey) in the Eastern Region have been sentenced to various terms of imprisonment since 2017, according to the Attorney-General (A-G) and Minister of Justice, Godfred Yeboah Dame. Besides, 250 people are currently standing trial for their alleged involvement in illegal mining in the region. The A-G explained that out of the convictions, 39 are foreigners, made up of 29 Nigeriens, seven Nigerians and three Chinese. Speaking on Atinka TV’s morning show, Ghana Nie with Ekourba Gyasi Simpremu, Mr. Samuel Aboagye noted that all their activities are monitored by the Minerals Commission. He admitted that although the Commission monitors the work of the small-scale miners as well, they still contaminate the water bodies. Meanwhile, he said the large-scale miners have put a land reclamation system in place such that after mining, the land is reclaimed for future use. Unfortunately, he said he cannot confirm that the small-scale miners and the galamseyers have reclaimed lands after mining there. “We are not close to those who degrade the lands.” Those who do that are those who do the illegal mining, which is galamsey. “Those whom we work with are regulated by the Minerals Commission, so all our activities are being monitored by the Minerals Commission,” he said. He also suggested that small-scale miners and galamseyers should be monitored closely by the Minerals Commission moving forward.