Akyem Tafo (E/R), June 29, GNA - The Eastern Regional Minister, Mr Samuel Ofosu-Ampofo, has said the Regional Co-coordinating Council would strictly enforce laws that protect water bodies. He said the government is not against anybody engaging in gold mining but the law required that those interested in that business secured the necessary legal documentation and practice their profession according to the laws of the land.
Mr Ofosu-Ampofo was speaking at a durbar to mark the celebration of this year's Ohum festival of the chiefs and people of Akyem Tafo at Old Tafo at the weekend.
He expressed his dissatisfaction at illegal mining going on along the basin of the Birim River where some illegal miners had diverted the course of the river to enable them mine gold in the basin of the river.
The Regional Minister said some of the illegal miners even end up using dangerous chemicals to wash their mineral finds into the river making it poisonous for people down stream to drink. Mr Ofosu-Ampofo said reports reaching him from the Ghana Water Company, water treatment centre at Bonsu indicate that, sometimes when the water from the Birim River is taken through the normal treatment process, it is still unsafe for human consumption due to pollution and had to be given further treatment.
He said such trend could not be allowed to continue to destroy the Birim River which serves as the sources of drinking water for large number of communities.
