Illegal miners have blocked the River Ankobra at multiple points in Prestea-Hemang and Awodua, Western Region, preventing its natural flow.

JoyNews can confirm that miners are now using excavators to mine directly in the Ankobra River Basin.

Erastus Asare Donkor reports that over a year of illegal mining aka galamsey has turned the once-flowing river into a stagnant, polluted pool.

To assess the scale and impact of these activities, the Minister of Lands and Natural Resources assembled a special advisory team for a nationwide fact-finding mission.

At the Ankobra estuary, where the river meets the sea, we observed high tide pushing seawater inland, momentarily masking the river’s pollution. But 40 minutes into our boat ride upstream, the true extent of the contamination became evident.

At Ehyeamu, mining operations encroach on the river, violating buffer zone policies. A miner, who identified himself as Lopez, showed us documents for his concession but admitted to illegalities on-site.

At Awodua, near Prestea, we made a shocking discovery: illegal miners had completely blocked and contained the river for mining.

Even more alarming, at Prestea-Hemang, close to the bridge, miners have built embankments, halting the river’s flow entirely.

The once-vibrant Ankobra is now a stagnant, brown pool beneath the bridge—its waters trapped and exploited.