The Rapid Response Unit of the Forestry Commission of Ghana and the Bekwai Forest District have arrested 23 illegal miners during an operation along the Oda River in the Ashanti Region.
The suspects, including four women, were apprehended at Aburokyere, Bepotenten and Sukuumu in the Amansie Central District where they were allegedly carrying out illegal mining activities along the river.
During the operation, the task force seized 82 Changfan machines, 77 water pumping machines and 21 motorbikes believed to have been used in the illegal mining operations. The team also destroyed 20 makeshift structures set up by the miners at the sites.
The exercise involved 31 Rapid Response personnel, seven forest guards, two officers from the Forest Resource Management unit and a District Development Manager.
Authorities say the Oda River has become heavily polluted, largely due to the activities of Changfan operators. The contamination has deprived farmers in surrounding communities of clean water needed for their farming activities.
The pollution has also affected the livelihoods of many small-scale farmers who rely on the river for irrigation, forcing several of them to abandon their farms.
