Residents of Kuano in the Ayensuano District of the Eastern Region have issued an urgent and passionate appeal to the government, environmental authorities, and security agencies to intervene immediately in what they describe as a growing illegal mining crisis that is devastating farmlands, polluting vital water bodies, and threatening the very survival of the community.
According to the residents, the activities of illegal miners popularly known as galamsey have intensified in recent months, leaving behind widespread environmental destruction and severely undermining the agricultural livelihoods upon, which the people of Kuano depend.
The concerns were captured in a press statement signed by Daryl E. Bosu, Deputy National Director of A Rocha Ghana, who raised alarm over the escalating environmental damage being inflicted on the community by unregulated mining operations.
Residents say large expanses of fertile agricultural land, including cocoa farms, food crop plantations, and other productive farmlands, have been ripped apart by excavators and heavy mining machinery in the reckless search for mineral deposits. Lands that once supported farming families and contributed significantly to local food production have reportedly been reduced to pits, mounds of earth, and degraded landscapes unsuitable for cultivation.
For a predominantly farming community like Kuano, the destruction has become more than an environmental concern, it is rapidly evolving into an economic and social crisis. Many families, residents say, are beginning to lose their only dependable source of income as agricultural productivity continues to decline under the pressure of illegal mining encroachment.
Equally alarming is the contamination of streams and other water sources that serve as the lifeline of the community. Residents lament that water bodies used for drinking, household activities, and irrigation have become heavily polluted by siltation, mining debris, and potentially toxic substances associated with illegal extraction practices.
Community members fear that continued pollution of these water sources poses serious public health risks, threatens food security, and could permanently damage the ecological balance of the area if urgent action is not taken.
“If this destruction is allowed to continue, future generations will inherit barren lands, poisoned rivers, and a broken local economy,” one concerned resident noted, echoing the fears shared widely across the community.
Leaders in Kuano disclosed that several attempts have been made to halt the encroachment, including appeals to local authorities and direct efforts by residents to discourage the illegal miners from continuing their activities. However, they say those efforts have yielded little success, as the operators continue their activities unabated, allegedly taking advantage of weak enforcement and slow institutional response.
The community is now calling on the National Anti-Illegal Mining Operations Secretariat (NAIMOS) to urgently deploy operational teams to Kuano to stop the destruction before it reaches irreversible levels.
Residents are also appealing to the Ayensuano District Chief Executive to treat the matter as a district emergency by mobilizing environmental agencies, traditional authorities, and law enforcement bodies to coordinate an immediate response.
Additionally, they are demanding the swift deployment of police personnel and other state security agencies to clamp down on the illegal miners, restore order, and safeguard the community’s remaining natural resources.
For the people of Kuano, this is no longer simply a fight against illegal mining. It is a battle to preserve their ancestral lands, protect their water sources, sustain their farming livelihoods, and secure the future of a community whose existence is deeply tied to agriculture and a healthy environment.
As the cries for help grow louder, residents say they can only hope their plea will be met with swift action before Kuano’s rich lands and life-sustaining waters are lost forever.
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