The Birim River at Anyinam has returned to its polluted, brownish state just four days after a government-led decongestion exercise aimed at clearing illegal miners.
Over 100 armed military personnel were deployed to water bodies across Ghana in an effort to combat illegal mining, or galamsey.
On October 10, the military, working with the Ghana National Association of Small-Scale Miners, seized and destroyed three changfan machines on the banks of the Birim River, which has long suffered severe pollution due to illegal mining activities.
The task force, under “Operation Halt,” began its mission in Anyinam, a known hotspot in the Atiwa East District of the Eastern Region. Following opposition from organised labour to galamsey activities, President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo ordered additional military forces to be deployed.
On October 11, the task force also destroyed 10 changfan machines, a pistol, and eight water-pumping machines along the Pra River in the Central Region. Despite these efforts, the Birim River remains heavily polluted.
