The National Anti-Illegal Mining Operations Secretariat (NAIMOS) has seized 10 excavators and destroyed several pumping machines in raids on illegal mining sites along the River Pra in the Adansi South District of the Ashanti Region, JoyNews reported.
The raids, part of NAIMOS' Operation Water Shield, targeted sites at Adiemra and Tweapease near New Edubiase. Parts of the river had been diverted, heavily silted and polluted by mining, according to the report. The team also halted mining that was affecting wetlands near the road at Subriso.
At Adiemra, the team arrested a man who said the site was licensed. Officials said the documents he presented related to different companies and locations and did not cover mining at that site. Pumps were found placed directly in the river at another site. Some miners were arrested during the operation, the report said, without giving a number.
In a follow-up sweep reported on October 6, the team found that miners at Adiemra had brought in new Changfan machines to replace equipment burnt by NAIMOS personnel the previous day. Soldiers recovered one machine hidden in the bush and set other raft-mounted equipment on fire.
Residents of Anwona Mensah told JoyNews that mining had affected the community's only borehole. NAIMOS said the operation would continue along the Pra and other major water bodies.