The National Anti-Illegal Mining Operations Secretariat (NAIMOS) has destroyed 92 changfang machines in two separate operations on the Tano River at Asemkrom in the Aowin District of the Western North Region.

The operations, conducted on October 15 and October 18, 2026, form part of Operation WATER SHIELD, the Secretariat’s sustained campaign to protect Ghana’s water bodies from illegal mining activities.

In a statement, NAIMOS said its Task Force, during the first operation on October 15, identified extensive illegal in-stream mining activities involving platforms and changfang machines operating directly on the Tano River near the Jema-Asekrom Forest Reserve.

During that operation, the Task Force destroyed 61 changfang machines, recovered six water pumps and a generator, and arrested three suspected operators who were handed over to the police for further investigation.

It said that despite the enforcement action, follow-up riverine patrols on October 18 revealed that illegal miners had returned to the river, with several platforms and changfang machines again found operating on the water.

NAIMOS personnel subsequently destroyed an additional 31 changfang machines and seized two outboard motors.

According to the statement, the two operations within four days had significantly degraded the capacity of illegal miners operating along that section of the Tano River.

It noted that ongoing in-stream mining had severely polluted the river, increased turbidity and caused visible environmental degradation, posing a threat to the adjoining forest reserve and communities that depend on the river.

NAIMOS said the rapid return of the illegal miners underscored the need for sustained riverine patrols, continuous monitoring and repeated enforcement to prevent cleared sites from being reoccupied.

The Secretariat pledged to maintain pressure along the Tano River and other hotspots, while strengthening community engagement to discourage local participation in illegal mining and encourage the reporting of suspicious activities.

It reiterated its commitment to protecting the Tano River and its tributaries from activities that threaten the country’s water resources and environment.