Member of Parliament (MP) for the Upper West Akim Constituency, Frederick Obeng Odoom has disclosed that illegal sand winning activities in his constituency have been a huge source of concern to communities in which these activities happen.
According to him, these illegal sand winning actitivities started somewhere in 2020 and has ever since gotten serious but says immediate steps have been put in place to regulate their activities and preserve farmlands.
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“The sand winning activities started somewhere last year and their practices have been so harmful. Because of this, I met with the District Chief Executive (DCE) and these sand contractors. After the meeting, their activities were suspended for a period of 2 weeks” he said.
Federick believes the suspension will give authorities enough time to regulate their activities and prevent them from having adverse effects on constituents.
Speaking on the Epa Hoa Daben political talk show with Happy98.9FM’s Don Kwabena Prah, he shared, “We’ve had some complaints from the constituents who said the miners were unlawfully mining sand deposits from their lands without telling them. And because we don’t want any confrontation between both parties, we’ve had the sit down”.
Sand winning activities have gained momentum and can be described as the new ‘galamsey’.
In some coastline areas in Ghana, the illegal activities of sand miners along the coast have left the tourist and national structures such as historic forts and castles deteriorated.
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The sand which also serves as a heavy defence method against heavy tidal waves are collected by sand miners exposing communities to danger.
For example, as at 2019, it was reported that some communities in the hinterland such as Ankaful and Birimso in the Central Region have been affected by sand winning which has left huge and dangerous tranches and manholes along the banks and coast of the affected areas.
By: Joel Sanco