The Komenda Edina Eguafo Abrem (KEEA) Municipal Director of the National Disaster Management Organisation (NADMO), Mr Edward Akakpo Sortoh, says he is fully committed to leading his outfit to crackdown on activities of sand winning across the municipality.
This, he stated, would ensure that the menace, which has gained notoriety in the municipality, would be brought to an end, so as to control all the accompanying consequences, as well as the dangers the practice post.
Mr Edward Akakpo Sortoh made this known to The Chronicle after he led a team of officers to arrest some lawless individuals who have defiled warnings to wind sand at Ampenyi and Elmina Bantuma.
Briefing The Chronicle, the KEEA NADMO director said the fight against the canker had been intensified because it has become a threat to human lives, a major cause of coastal erosion and loss of coastal habitat.
In view of this, he said “stopping sand winning (mining) at Elmina is necessary to prevent the total destruction of the coastline, as the practice has significantly accelerated severe sea erosion, threatening homes, infrastructure and the local tourism industry.”
He added that, “The unregulated removal of sand from beaches, particularly in areas like Mbofra Akyinim, has stripped the shore of its natural defenses, allowing high tides to wash further inland.”
He mentioned that in spite of the known effects, “Sand winning is widespread along the coastline of the Central Region, including the KEEA area, posing a significant threat to coastal sustainability.”
According to him, NADMO has become aware that the illegal activities were mostly conducted at dawn or at night on the blind side of the authorities.
To help curb this, he said NADMO was actively conducting field inspections, monitoring, and, in some cases, collaborating with national security to arrest and prosecute offenders.
“Our concern is driven by the severe environmental and safety impacts caused by these activities, particularly along the coastlines of the Central Region in general and the KEEA municipality in particular,” he noted.
The latest operation, in which a truck fully loaded with sand at the beach was impounded, was led by the Municipal Director, Edward Akakpo Sortoh.
Others suspects who were found in the process of winning the sand into the truck were also arrested.
Their arrest formed part of the crackdown process to end the dangerous practice in the municipality. Sand winning in the KEEA municipality has adversely affected several communities and destroyed their beach front.
Brenu Akyinim, a once vibrant community, which became famous for its breathtaking and picturesque beachfront is one of the worse affected communities in the KEEA municipality.
It is often believe that as a result of massive and continuous sand winning activities in the town, the community has been experiencing strong tidal waves, which have washed away acres of the town’s stunning beachfront and destroyed many houses.
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