Security officer with the destroyed drone
SOME ILLEGAL miners (galamseyers) shot down a drone during an anti-galamsey operation at the Birim River in Kyebi, located in the East Akim Municipal Assembly of the Eastern Region, according to A Rocha Ghana, an environmental conservation group in the country.
The drone by A Rocha Ghana was used to help access hard-to-reach and hazardous areas as well as monitor illegal mining sites, but was shot down by the galamseyers upon detecting its surveillance of the site.
In a video shared by The 1957 News, one could see the destroyed drone in the hands of a security officer complaining about the damage caused by illegal miners.
“They destroyed the drone, destroyed the camera part of the drone. Because the drone has a sensor all around, when it is about to crash into about 10 metres, … I will be able to detect it. So they stood on top of the mountain, upon realising that the drone was approaching them, they hit the drone,” the drone technician, Agyei, narrated.
A Rocha Ghana, together with some galamsey taskforces, was able to retrieve some equipment used in destroying farmlands for illegal mining. They pledged to identify those involved in the destruction of both the drone and the land.
A Rocha Ghana is a prominent environmental advocacy group that has been at the forefront of the fight against galamsey in Ghana. The group is pushing for decisive action to curb illegal mining, which is ravaging the country’s forests, water bodies, and ecosystems.
Along with six other civil society organisations, they have taken the government to court over the passage of Legislative Instrument (LI) 2462, which allows mining in forest reserves, arguing it violates environmental protection laws.
In recent times, they called on the government to expedite the rollout of an identification system for security personnel involved in combating illegal mining.
“The decision to provide an ID system for the officers who are engaged in the anti-galamsey operations is very much needed. Considering the development of a lot of people out there, parading themselves as national security operatives, which can create some level of insecurity as well.
“So, we need to ensure that these things are done swiftly and quickly, because even though we are taking some actions, I believe that these actions are coming slowly. There is no urgency with it, and for me, this is where we need to look carefully,” Deputy Director of A Rocha Ghana, Daryl Bosu, disclosed.
BY Prince Fiifi Yorke