Mpraeso MP Davis Ansah Opoku;
Mpraeso MP Davis Ansah Opoku is calling on the government to establish a dedicated fund to address the impact of illegal mining on water bodies.
He suggests that revenue from the fund should be used to treat waters affected by illegal mining activities.
According to Ansar Opoku, the government currently lacks the financial capacity to tackle the problem with already overstretched resources.
He emphasized the importance of establishing a water fund as part of the government’s efforts to address environmental issues to protect communities from natural disasters.
The deputy chairman of Parliament’s Public Accounts Committee (PAC) added that water guards should be installed to prevent further destruction to water bodies.
“Mr Speaker, you are all talking about ‘galamsey’ and how it has destroyed our water bodies. The funds deposited in this fund will be used to restore destroyed rivers, build new water sources for our people. , there is a need to ensure that the fund is used to ensure quality drinking water for Ghanaians,” Davis Opoku Ansah suggested. .
Meanwhile, a minority of MPs on Parliament’s Lands and Forestry Committee have criticized the government over allegations that it did not account for money spent on fighting illegal mining in the 2024 budget.
The group said $30 million would be allocated quarterly for three years to the defunct Inter-Agency Task Force against Illegal Mining, and $500 million would be earmarked for government engagement with traditional leaders and security agencies in the fight against the “galamsi” threat. It is claimed that over GH¢ million was spent.
Speaking to the media, Deputy Senior Commissioner of the Land and Forestry Commission, Alhassan Sufuini, stressed the need for accountability in the fight against ‘galamsey’, saying that despite large expenditures, the Budget did not address the issue. I wondered why it wasn’t mentioned at all.
“If you look at it, you will see how much money went down the drain. They blew GH¢5.4 million just by interacting with ‘galamsey’. The question is, what is the purpose? What benefit do we get from all this?” asked Alhassan Sufuini.
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