Environmental journalist, Erastus Asare Donkor, has stressed that the success of government’s newly declared security zones around water bodies and forest reserves will depend on how effectively they are enforced.
Speaking on Adom FM’s Dwaso Nsem, he cautioned that without concrete action, the policy risks being reduced to mere rhetoric.
“The declaration of security zones for water bodies and forest reserves — the way the government will ensure enforcement will show how serious we are. If not, it will be a mere written or lip service,” Donkor warned.
Citing a breach at Adrobaa Bisi in the Tano North constituency, he pointed out that the National Anti-Illegal Mining Operations (NAIMOS) must prove its worth by confronting and removing perpetrators from polluted water bodies.
“So with the destruction in the Tano North area, if NAIMOS is not able to step in and stop the perpetrators and remove them from the water, then we are heading nowhere,” he said. “But if NAIMOS is able to actively protect our water bodies, then the declaration of security zones is the way to go.”
The government recently declared selected rivers, water bodies, and forest reserves as security zones in a renewed crackdown on illegal mining, locally known as galamsey.
Under this directive, access to these areas is strictly controlled, and unauthorized entry is prohibited.
The move is designed to safeguard critical natural resources from further destruction, following years of widespread illegal mining that has left rivers polluted and forests depleted.
The initiative is being spearheaded by NAIMOS, a task force made up of security agencies and regulatory bodies, mandated to enforce compliance and protect Ghana’s environment.
Source: Gertrude Otchere
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