Mr. Benjamin Arhin Sackey, the Director of Environment and Sustainable Development at the Volta River Authority (VRA), has urged communities to help fight illegal sand winning in the country.
Mr. Sackey said this in response to a question on sand-weaning activities along the riverbanks of the Ada-East district during an open forum at a stakeholder engagement on precautionary spillage.
He said residents must demand the relevant permits from companies engaged in sand weaning in the area and advised them to stop their activities if they were not convinced of the authenticity.
He mentioned that every sand mining company needed to obtain a permit from the necessary institutions, including the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), the Mineral Commission, and other authorities, before it could commence its activities.
He further said that there was a need to strictly adhere to regulations on sand mining operations to minimise the adverse effect on the environment and the livelihood of community members.
“This is a potential economic activity; people have realised it, and just like Galamsey, people are rushing into it, but we need to regulate it; the EPA alone cannot do it; if they go to communities and the community members beat them, what will they do?” he asked.
The VRA’s Director of Environment and Sustainable Development added that the trucks that convey the sands to their various destinations also destroy the roads in the communities, emphasising that community members who were involved in such activities must desist and help stop illegal miners from operating in the community.
Madam Sally Biney, the Tema Director of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), stressed the need for obtaining an environmental permit to assess, identify possible dangers, and adopt management approaches before engaging in such activities.
She said illegal weaning of sand close to the Volta River was not the best, adding that her outfit would engage all the stakeholders involved in addressing the challenge and urging people who had been given lands for such activities to liaise with the assemblies to know their boundaries.
She appealed to the traditional authorities to help fight the menace collectively.
