The anti-galamsey task force, Operation Halt, has escalated its efforts to combat illegal mining activities, striking key illegal mining operations along Ghana’s heavily polluted river bodies.
In their latest crackdown on the Pra River in the Central Region, the task force dismantled and destroyed 10 Changfans, a pistol, and eight water-pumping machines, dealing a significant blow to miners operating unlawfully.
This follows the task force’s earlier destruction of 30 pieces of mining equipment on the Birim River in the Eastern Region during the first day of the operation.
Speaking to Citi News, Colonel Eric Tenadu, Commander of the Operation Halt Task Force, stressed that additional machines used by illegal miners had also been dismantled.
Col. Tenadu highlighted the strategic deployment of his team from the Eastern to the Central Region as a tactical move to outmanoeuvre illegal miners who often shift their operations in response to task force movements.
“We are making sure they have no place to hide,” he said, explaining that this two-week phase of Operation Halt aims to cover all major river bodies, including the Pra, Birim, and Ankobra Rivers, which have suffered extensive environmental degradation due to illegal mining, or galamsey.
“Our focus is on clearing the waterbodies,” Col. Tenadu said. “We are not concentrating on the land this time because the rivers are what illegal miners are destroying the most. We want to clean them up.”
Operation Halt has garnered support from environmental groups that applaud the government’s renewed commitment to fighting the galamsky crisis.
However, many advocates stress the need for long-term solutions to ensure that miners do not return to the same areas once the task force completes its mission.
Military personnel, engineers, police officers, and environmental experts have been deployed in this operation, reflecting the government’s intention to address the galamsky problem comprehensively. Despite uncertainty about the next steps, Col. Tenadu assured, “We will visit all the major waterbodies in the country. Illegal miners should be ready for us.”