Stone quarries in the Afigya Kwabre South District of the Ashanti Region have witnessed a surge in encroachment of buffer zones by private home developers.

Many homes are sited within a 500-meter radius of some quarries, endangering the lives of residents within the district whenever there is a blast at the quarries.

The areas visited by the Ashanti Regional Security Council in the Afigya Kwabre South District indicated that homeowners have breached the regulations.

A report by JoyNews' Nana Yaw Gyimah indicates that some homes are completed and others are at various stages of being completed but are cited within the buffer.

Due to the breach, some of the houses have been impacted by the blasting activities of the mine.

According to the Afigya Kwabre South Assembly, many of the houses constructed within the buffer area were constructed without their knowledge.

The District Chief Executive, Christian Adu Poku told Nana Yaw Gyimah that they have tried to prevent people from building in the buffer zones.

“It has not been easy. Sometimes they build in the night. Sometimes when the Assembly is not in session, Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays by the time you come, a building that was started from scratch, it has reached the lintel level. And when it reaches such a height, it becomes very difficult to pull it down.”

The Ashanti Regional Minister, Simon Osei Mensah has appealed to the public to desist from buying lands in the area since they have no documentation.

“People are building too close to the quarry sites. There should be a buffer of 500 meters and I can tell you. You all witnessed it. Some have even below a distance of 20 meters and it’s very dangerous. And that’s why anytime there is blasting, people complain that there are cracks in the building. Some of their electrical gadgets are spoilt and the problem is because of the encroachment.”

“We are making a fervent appeal to our chiefs not to sell land within buffer zones of the various mining companies,” he added.