Some listeners of Orange FM have urged the government to urgently address the issue of illegal mining activities, also known as galamsey.
They criticize the current efforts to combat this menace as inadequate, with thousands of farmlands and hectares of forests being destroyed, leading to the pollution of water bodies.
Speaking to Alfa Ali on the Orange Sunrise, some of them called for immediate action to tackle the illegal activity.
A listener who called into the show said “with the galamsey issue we are discussing now, if the chiefs don’t put their feet down with the support of the government to sack these people from the land, it will not work. The chiefs must be involved in order to win the fight.”
“You see, all the candidates that will file for the 2024 elections must be carried in one bus to the various galamsey sites to go and campaign against galamsey. Let us hear their messages at the venues where galamsey is going on,” another caller stated.
Ruben Ameh, Secretary of the Combined Kejetia Traders Association, also expressed concern about the devastating impact of galamsey on water bodies.
He stressed the importance of collaborative efforts to address this pressing issue.
In an interview with Alfa Ali on the Orange Sunrise, he said “Let’s all begin to say no to this menace, we have tolerated a whole lot of menace in this country.”
“It has not been to this level of destruction. There have been chainsaw operators that we have been talking about for years now, but not to this level. As for galamsey, you are applying certain chemicals and destroying water bodies,” he added.
By Nelly Takyiwa Boateng, Student, Kumasi Technical University (KsTU)
