The outgoing Lands and Natural Resources Minister has described as unfair, criticisms against the Minerals Commission and the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).

The two regulatory bodies have come under fire recently for failing to ensure proper monitoring of mining activities in the country.

The Ashanti regional minister, Samuel Sarpong this week labelled the agencies as useless.

Asantehene, Otumfuo Osei Tutu II also criticised the bodies and challenged them to be more proactive. He scolded the EPA and the Minerals Commission for their negligence resulting in widespread environmental degradation.

“What is the work of the EPA? And does the EPA check on these activities?” he asked.

Otumfuo made this remark when the newly elected boss of the Minerals Commission, Dr. Tony Aubynn paid a courtesy call on him at the Manhyia palace on Thursday.

During the call, Otumfuo, lamented the state at which the lands and water bodies within the region were polluted through small scale mining popularly known as “galamsey”.

“…Now the situation has gotten out of hand, our water bodies and farms have been destroyed,” the Asantehene observed.

But the outgoing Lands and Natural Resources Minister Inusah Fuseini said the EPA and the Minerals Commission are doing a great job considering the constraints they face.

He said "I think the criticism coming from the Asantehene and the Ashanti regional Minister are made in good faith because of the level of destruction that has characterized mining operations in the country."

"That is not to say that the criticism is fair in the face of constraints that are faced by the Minerals Commission and the Environmental Protection Agency and working within this constraints they have been able to achieve some appreciable measure of success in monitoring," Inusah Fuseini added.

It was his hope that monitoring activities of the Minerals Commission and the EPA will be stepped up to a level where they will be proactive in stopping any degradation that will occur on mining sites.