A group of environmentalists, including Eco-Conscious Citizens, and concerned citizens have called on Western North Regional Minister, Richard Obeng Ebbah to use his good offices to immediately stop the destruction of the Atronsu landscape and pollution of the once pristine Atronsu stream.
Barely 18 months after a number of local environmentalists, including Patrick Japheth Danso of Sefwi Atronsu Youth/Farmers Against Community/Small Scale Mining Group, filed an injunction to stop a group claiming to have a community mining licence, from mining in the area, an unidentified group of illegal miners have began clearing farmlands and polluting the Atronso stream in a bid to look for gold.
“The citizenry of Atronsu are aggrieved, disappointed and saddened. Why? Because of the destruction of farmlands as well as the poisoning of our source of water – the cherished and pristine Atronsu Stream, by galamseyers,” laments Danso.
“We urge the relevant authorities to act quickly and put a stop to galamsey at Atronsu, and help save our natural environment and save our lives too.”
The Sefwi Atronsu Youth/Farmers Against Community/Small Scale Mining Group is one of the local groups who are against both illegal mining, and community mining, as the lack of monitoring of the latter invariably results in the same sort of environmental damage left by galamseyers.
source: www.kumasimail.com
