Assembly members within the Newmont catchment area in the Tano North Municipality have attributed the pollution and degradation of the River Tano to illegal mining activities, popularly known as galamsey, and not to the operations of Newmont Gold Ghana.

They said allegations linking Newmont to the destruction of the river were unfounded.

In a statement issued after a joint monitoring visit on January 8, 2026, the assembly members said the exercise, which involved community youth leaders and representatives of Newmont Gold Ghana, was undertaken in response to growing public concerns.

“This exercise was prompted by allegations suggesting that the operations of Newmont Gold Ghana were responsible for the degradation of the River Tano,” the statement said.

According to the assembly members, findings from the field visit pointed clearly to illegal mining along tributaries feeding into the River Tano as the main source of pollution.

“We wish to categorically state that the pollution and destruction of the River Tano is not a result of Newmont’s operations,” the statement stressed, adding that the damage was “largely attributable to rampant galamsey activities occurring along tributaries such as the Bisi River and Kotwe River”.

The assembly members disclosed that water samples collected during the monitoring exercise reinforced their conclusion.

“The sample taken from the Brentim River, which flows close to Newmont’s operational site, was found to be clean and unpolluted,” they noted, attributing this to Newmont’s environmental management systems.

However, they said samples from the Bisi and Kotwe rivers “showed clear evidence of severe pollution resulting from intensive galamsey activities”, warning that these polluted tributaries posed “a serious threat to the survival of the River Tano”.

While commending Newmont Gold Ghana for its “responsible environmental stewardship”, the assembly members appealed for urgent government intervention.

“We humbly and urgently appeal to the Government of Ghana to intervene decisively to protect the River Tano,” the statement said, calling on the Municipal Chief Executive, Pius Opoku, to “make effective and sustained use of the security agencies to clamp down on ongoing galamsey activities”.

They stressed that “the protection of the River Tano is not only an environmental imperative but also a matter of public health, sustainability, and the future well-being of our people.”