It has emerged that STA ADDSAMS Enterprise, the Chinese quarry company operating at Anto-Aboso in the Shama District of the Western Region, where an explosion occurred last Saturday, did not have licence to operate.
It would be recalled that the explosion led to the death of five persons. Four dead bodies were initially discovered while another one was later found, bringing the number of deaths to five.
The explosion also affected surrounding communities in the Shama District and has left a lot of the residents in shock, as many of them are counting their losses.
It was gathered that both Ghanaian and Chinese workers who were part of the night shift, were burnt beyond recognition at the quarry site, originally known as G-Omini Quarry.
According to sources, the ammonia nitrate that exploded were reportedly being kept at an unstructured storage without permit and detonated, killing the workers and injuring several people while others got missing.
A visit to the site after the incident revealed empty drums believed to have contained diesel, other lubricants, cigarette pieces, and oxy-acetylene cylinders at the scene.
Other items including light vehicles and equipment which were close to residential structures on site were destroyed.
Subsequently, the Minerals Commission has issued a statement indicating that the Anto-Aboso quarry site was operating illegally.
The statement, signed by the Western Regional Manager of the Commission, Martin Ayisi, said the quarry operators had not completed their licensing processes and were therefore not expected to be working.
The statement noted that the company applied for a Restricted Mining lease for granite, commonly referred to as a quarry. It said the recommendation for the company to be considered for the grant of a formal lease was granted on March 20, 2023.
It continued, “At the time of the explosion, the company has not been issued with a lease by the Minister of Lands and Natural Resources and the site of the explosion is also the residential facilities of the company. This included buildings and containerised structures.”
The Commission also gathered that the company was working at night, ostensibly to prevent the inspectors of the Commission and the local task force comprising the police and members of the sand winners and quarry association to notice their operation.
“So the activities of the enterprise at the site were illegal,” the statement pointed out.
9-Member Committee
Meanwhile, the Western Regional Minister, Kwabena Okyere Darko Mensah, has inaugurated a nine-member committee to investigate and establish the factors leading to the explosion.
The members are also to produce a comprehensive report to guide future activities in the sector.
The members include representatives of the security agencies, Minerals Commission, Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), the Works Engineer, the Assembly member of the area and the NADMO officer of the Shama District.
Mr. Frederick Agyemang, the Chief Director of the Western Regional Coordinating Council (WRCC), is the Chairman of the Committee, which has three weeks to furnish the minister with its report.
The Chief Executive Officer of the Environmental Protection Agency, Dr. Kwabena Kokofu, also visited the site of the incident and remarked, “this is not a pleasant situation at all”.
He said explosives were not supposed to be carried by anybody, and wondered why workers in the company did not hint the EPA on the storage of the ammonium in the company.
He, therefore, called for attitudinal change among Ghanaian workers, adding, “We have observed that people continue to work illegally at our blind site. We are currently deploying technology that would improve our monitoring.”
From Emmanuel Opoku, Takoradi