Residents of Konongo in the Ashanti Region are raising alarm over the escalating illegal mining activities, known locally as "galamsey," which are encroaching dangerously close to the main Konongo-Accra highway. 

Despite government efforts to curb this illegal activity, the miners continue their operations unabated, leaving destruction in their wake and posing a significant threat to the region’s infrastructure and environment.

One of the most concerning examples of this encroachment is a mining operation just a few meters from the busy highway, graphic.com.gh reports. 

The activity has become an eyesore and a source of deep frustration for residents, who feel abandoned by authorities.

Rev. Raphael Oppong, head pastor of the New Life Church of Light in Konongo, expressed the community’s dismay in an interview. 

“The illegal mining situation in the area is an eyesore and a blot on the conscience of persons in authority who have the mandate to stop the menace,” he said. He further lamented the destruction of local vegetation and the severe pollution of the Owerri River, the main water source for the area.

“The police are doing nothing about it; the chiefs are not taking any action; the District Assembly has not taken action, and even the Minerals Commission Office here in Konongo says they do not know anything about what is happening,” Rev. Oppong added, warning that residents might soon mobilize for a demonstration if the situation persists.

The illegal mining operation, clearly visible to motorists and passersby, has been declared unlawful by both the Minerals Commission and the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). Konongo Area Head of the EPA, Dawood Abass, confirmed that no mining license had been issued for the site, making any activity there illegal.

“We will visit there and inform the appropriate quarters for action,” Abass said.

The encroachment has not only alarmed residents but also posed serious challenges to contractors working on the four bypasses along the Accra-Kumasi Highway.

These bypasses, designed to reduce congestion and accidents, are being hindered by the aftermath of illegal mining. At sites like Osino and Anyinam, miners have left pits uncovered, creating hazardous, swampy conditions that are particularly difficult to manage during the rainy season.

At the Konongo bypass site, contractors are struggling to stabilize the ground, which has been severely impacted by the illegal mining activities. Dolittle Kwaku Sintim-Aboagye, team leader of the consulting firm STIM Limited, highlighted that compensation payments to affected parties, along with adverse weather conditions, are further delaying the project.

"We have some mining companies, and they have their terrace ponds. Our alignments go through these terrace ponds, so we either shift the ponds or go through them, and we decided to go through them. That meant the mining companies must decommission these terrace ponds, and that is also taking some time and affecting us," Sintim-Aboagye explained.

The persistence of illegal mining in the region has also led to tragic incidents.

In June last year, three illegal miners were killed when a pit collapsed at Konongo-Odumase. 

NAY/OGB

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