Ghana’s Minister of Lands and Natural Resources, Mr Emmanuel Armah-Kofi Buah, Wednesday highlighted the devastating impact of illegal mining, known as galamsey, on the country’s forest reserves and water bodies.

The Minister painted a grim picture of the situation, citing the destruction of over 5,000 hectares of forest reserves, equivalent to about 7,500 standard football pitches.

“… Mr Speaker, the approach adopted by these illegal mining thugs is quite alarming and frightening. They are heavily armed with very sophisticated weapons and very violent with large numbers of excavators,” Mr Buah said on the Floor of Parliament.

He made the remarks when he delivered a statement on the state of Ghana’s forest reserves and water bodies to Members of Parliament (MPs).

The Minister emphasised the need for collective action to address the crisis.

Mr Buah also highlighted the critical impact of galamsey on Ghana’s water bodies, with turbidity levels exceeding 5,000 – 12,000 Nephelometeic Turbidity Units (NTU), far beyond the acceptable limit of 500 NTU.

The pollution of water bodies with toxic chemicals such as cyanide, mercury, and hydrocarbons were also condemned as “utterly unacceptable” by the sector minister.

To address the situation, the Minister outlined several short and medium-term measures, including clearing water bodies of illegal mining activities with river guards under the Blue Water Initiative; engaging stakeholders to strengthen regulatory and law enforcement regimes; establishing a working committee of experts to review the mining sector and licensing regime and revoking Legislative Instrument 2462 to establish a more responsible legal framework for small-scale mining.

“Mr Speaker, rolling out the tree for life reforestation Initiative to restore degraded landscapes and promote sustainable forest management is also another measure to be recommended,” he said.

The Minister appealed to Ghanaians and MPs to join the fight against galamsey. “… Mr Speaker, we owe it to ourselves, our children, and future generations to safeguard our environment and secure a sustainable future for our beloved nation. The time to act is now. Together, we can and must prevail,” he noted.