The chiefs and people of Atronie in the Sunyani Municipality of the Bono Region have turned to the gods of the area to combat illegal mining, also known as “galamsey,” as the government is claimed to be losing the battle against the problem.
Nana Yaw Ampofo, Secretary to the Atronie Traditional Authority, stated, “We are going to invoke the assistance and anger of our local deity to stop the galamseyers, and that will be disastrous.”
He informed the Ghana News Agency (GNA) that they have decided to turn to the gods for help because all attempts to persuade the appropriate governmental officials to assist them have failed.
Nana Ampofo described the local shrine as “unforgiving” and stated that the traditional authority was only alerting the government of its decision since “nothing can be done to pacify the gods if we invoke their anger.”
He stated that certain people are currently engaging in illicit mining operations in the region, which the chiefs have denounced to the police, the local assembly, and other pertinent authorities.
But as the galamseyers continue to devastate the region’s crops, farmlands, waterways, vegetation, and forest cover, nothing has been done.
Nana Ampofo also bemoaned the pollution and devastation of the Amoma River, the community’s sole supply of drinking water, and urged the government to act decisively to resolve the issue.
The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) recently advised traditional leaders to use customary taboos and spiritual sanctions against illegal miners, claiming that cultural beliefs could become a potent weapon in intensifying the fight against galamsey. This advice was followed by the Atronie Traditional Authority’s decision.
In an interview with the media, Mr. Derick Ashia Logo, the Regional Director of the EPA in Tarkwa, voiced alarm about the increasing audacity of illicit miners, many of them, he claimed, are highly armed and represent a real threat to law enforcement.
He pointed out that because illegal miners continue their operations in spite of repeated warnings, state agencies are increasingly confronted with risky situations during monitoring and enforcement exercises.
“We have come to realise that as we do our enforcement and monitoring, when we speak to these galamseyers, they are not prepared to stop what they are doing. They are so emboldened that they have ammunition on site, and if you’re not well prepared, you can lose your life.
“We believe that the chiefs who are custodians of the lands in these communities have the power to invoke the spirits in water bodies and in the forests. They should call their people together and let them know that anybody who goes into the water body or forest to mine without the appropriate permit should die,” he reiterated.
Additionally, Mr. Ashia Logo urged the government to fund community-based environmental protection programs in order to bolster the role of traditional authority in the struggle to protect natural resources.
He suggested more stringent accountability procedures for chiefs who neglect to safeguard the natural resources under their purview.
“The government should come up with a policy. If you fail to protect the water bodies and forests and allow people to destroy them, you should be de-stooled. I believe no chief is prepared to be destooled, so they will have no reason but to help protect the water bodies and our forests,” he said.
The public, civil society organisations, and environmentalists are becoming increasingly concerned about the destructive actions of illegal miners during the time of the EPA’s appeal.
Source: newsthemegh.com