A community-based organisation, the Tarbang Development Association (TaDA), has expressed deep concern over the escalating illegal mining (galamsey) activities along the Black Volta River in the Kintampo North Municipality of the Bono East Region.

The association warned of severe environmental and public health consequences if urgent action is not taken to address the situation.

In a statement issued on Saturday, 11 April 2026, TaDA said the worsening situation in communities along the river has become a major threat to livelihoods and water safety, calling for immediate intervention from state authorities and traditional leadership.

TaDA, based in Ntraban and made up of indigenes of the community, said it was compelled to draw attention to the issue due to what it described as the rapid spread of illegal mining activities across several communities along the riverbank.

According to the association, galamsey activities along the Black Volta did not begin under the current government but have “taken a dire turn in the past few months,” expanding from a few communities to almost all Mo (D3ga) communities between Bamboi and Buipe.

The affected communities include Gwere, Kandige, Busuama, Yara, Tefoboi and Bewele. TaDA further alleged that some of the miners are coming from Babato in the Bole District of the Savannah Region, with a significant number also linked to Bamboi, a development it said is troubling given the government’s ongoing fight against illegal mining.

The association noted that the situation has worsened with the emergence of new galamsey sites in Ntraban and Tefoboi as recently as December 2025, despite engagements with traditional authorities and other stakeholders.

It also expressed disappointment in what it described as the silence of some local leaders, including assembly members, and limited enforcement action despite awareness by the Municipal Chief Executive and Member of Parliament.

On the consequences of the illegal activity, TaDA warned that the Black Volta River remains a key source of fish and water supply across several markets, including Kintampo, Techiman, Ejura, Mampong, Tamale, Buipe and Yeji/Makango. It cautioned that upstream contamination could have far-reaching public health implications nationwide, including Kumasi and Damongo.

The group acknowledged efforts by the Kintampo North Municipal Security Council (MUSEC), led by the MCE, including recent arrests of illegal miners in Busuama. However, it said the miners returned shortly after and resumed operations with little resistance.

TaDA further noted that petitions submitted by other youth groups, including the D3ga Land Association, to the Municipal Chief Executive and traditional authorities have so far not produced any decisive action.

The association is therefore calling on the Bono East Regional Minister, the Chairperson of RESEC, the Water Resources Commission, the Minister for Lands and Natural Resources, and the President to take urgent steps to halt the destruction of the river.

Among its proposals, TaDA is demanding the deployment of military or NAIMOS teams to affected communities, stricter enforcement of anti-galamsey laws, and the introduction of performance indicators for MMDCEs in districts along the Black Volta.

It also proposed sanctions for chiefs and assembly members who permit illegal mining in their jurisdictions, the establishment of community monitoring teams or “Blue Water Guards,” and stronger action against financiers behind illegal mining operations.

The association stressed that urgent and coordinated intervention is needed to prevent the Black Volta from suffering the same level of degradation seen in other water bodies, adding that “the time for action is now.”