ILLEGAL MINERS MOUNT ATTACK ON THE RIVER ANKOBRA

PRESTEA SIDE OF THE ANKOBRA RIVER

Illegal mining activities also known as “Galamsey” on the River Ankobra has really destroyed the beautiful River body which ones severed as a drinking water for most people in the Northern part of the western region.

The Ankobra River stretches from the north of the western Region and passes through Prestea to enter the sea between Axim and Ankobra Town in the Ellembele District.

Just like other river bodies in the region the Ankobra River has for the past years been under serious siege at the mercies of galamsey operatives in the region and has lost it freshness.

This has cause many in the area to loos their major source of driving water as these illegal miners keep polluting the river bodies day in and out with their illegal activities.

The recent visit by our correspondent to the Prestea end of the Ankobra River following public grievances that illegal miners has denied them access to portable drinking water, revealed that illegal miners in Prestea has really survived in their attack mounted on the Ankobra River and destroyed is beautiful river body as both side of the river has been mined for gold to the extent that the river has completely changed color from white to dirty brown and stinks badly.

The illegal miners have mounted soil at both sides of the river by the activity thereby creating a narrow path for the river to follow with stress. Oil substances were also spotted on the surface of the river while others also engaged in alluvia mining on the same river body which is strictly prohibited by the mining law of Ghana.

Some residents who spoke to our correspondent were swift to accuse the authorities in the Prestea Huni-Valley District for looking on to the situation as it got out off hand and deny them portable drinking water.

The District Chief Executive for the Prestea Huni-Valley District, Wisdom Cudjoe our correspondent in a telephone interview that the District had a difficult time dealing with these illegal miners on the Ankobra River yet they have been able to expel them from the area and on the river a day before our visit to the site.

Meanwhile at the time of our visit it was only their excavators that have been moved away from the site but the illegal miners were still on the river working with their pumping machines and were very mad with over correspondent for film them.

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