Using ‘Water Guards’ To Fight Galamsey Is Complete Waste – Yaw Asani Tano
Yaw Asani Tano, a socio-political analyst, has likened the “Blue Water Guard” initiative by the Mahama administration to stop illegal mining in Ghana.
Illegal mining, locally known as galamsey, is over the years the bane of the nation with the country’s water bodies being polluted.
As part of measures to curb this menace, the government say it will train some Ghanaian youth to clamp down on the illegal miners.
The Lands Minister, Emmanuel Armah Kofi Buah launched this initiative aimed to train 460 guards to protect the water bodies.
At least 2,000 Ghanaian youth are expected to undergo rigorous training by the Ghana Navy Riverine Command under the auspices of the Minerals Commission and be equipped with the expertise to combat illegal mining operations on river bodies.
“The Blue Water Initiative is our response—a comprehensive strategy to safeguard our water bodies and promote sustainable practices”, the Minister said.
But to Yaw Asani Tano, this initiative is not effective to curb this mining menace.
He wondered how unarmed civilians can fight armed galamseyers.
“Unless it is explained to me in details regards this water guards, otherwise I’d say it’s another way of wasting resources and not achieving the purpose that we all want…If we want to portray that the galamseyers , no matter how armed they are, they are stronger than the State apparatus; then Ghana is gradually doomed“, he said on Peace FM’s “Kokrokoo” show.
“Will the person be staying at the river banks for 24 hours or will be in a boat or have we built houses for them along the rivers? Can they line them up along River Tano all the way?”, he queried.
To him, the government must deploy the Military under instruction to use brute force against the galamseyers.
“We should reduce the human contact; rather, use the Military with force, use the drones and make sure we will be safe and any action that has to quell this particular canker, the government should immediately enforce it.”
“It is the responsibility of the government to use our Military with force, otherwise there’s nothing we can achieve in fighting galamsey. We must exert brute on those who are in the rivers and in the forest reserves…The Military will do us justice if we deploy them in a manner that we have equipped them; they have all the logistics”, he emphasized.
Source: Ghmessenger.com
