Members of the Tongu Dredgers Association have protested the National Anti-Illegal Mining Operations Secretariat’s (NAIMOS) activities, including the destruction of about 15 pieces of their equipment along the Volta River in the North Tongu District.
They argued that they abide by all safety regulations set by the relevant state institutions, stressing that their activities do not pose any threat to the environment but serve as a flood-mitigation measure.
They have therefore appealed to the government to intervene over the destruction of their equipment and the suspension of their operations, saying their work is similar to the dredging that the Volta River Authority had contracted a firm to carry out.
Sand mining along the Volta River has been an age-old profession, supporting the livelihoods of about 30,000 residents along the lower basin in the North, South and Central Tongu districts of the Volta Region.
The Chairperson of the Tongu Dredgers Association, Carl Kofi Eworyi, described dredging sand from the river as a flood-mitigation measure along the riverbank, adding that their activities comply strictly with safety regulations.
He described the presence of the National Anti-Illegal Mining Operations Secretariat (NAIMOS) in their area as unwarranted and counterproductive to the task force’s objectives.
“Masked men in military uniform stormed our work sites. They beat our workers mercilessly, sank a dredger, and smashed and burned our equipment.
More than 15 chanfans and dredgers have now been destroyed or sunk, and our members can no longer work.”
“We support the President’s fight against galamsey, and we want him to win it. Some of our members used to do illegal mining in the forests. Our Association brought them home to do safe, honest work on the river. When you destroy their equipment and take away their living, some will go back to the forests. Attacking us pushes young people back into galamsey”, he said.
He argued that the lower basin needs dredging, as the river is less than three feet deep about 200 metres from the bank, citing Tefle as an example.
He said that “the VRA has already decided that the Lower Volta must be dredged. It has hired JSC Mediterranean Ghana Ltd. and Lower Volta Dredging Contractors Ltd. to dredge from Akuse to the Ada estuary. That is the same work we already do: removing sandbars and weeds from the same river. We live on this river and we depend on it. We should be the first to be considered.
Mr Eworyi therefore called on the government and the Volta River Authority to allocate them a concession along the Lower Volta, promising to practise safe mining.
“We call on the government, the VRA and the regulators to: Stop the destruction of our equipment now, while talks continue. Give us our own zones of the Lower Volta concession, under a written agreement with the VRA. This can be done directly, or by directing the contractor to release parts of the river to us on fair terms.
They have also urged the VRA to honour the 2016 dredging contract, review the 40 per cent demand for anyone who works under the contractor, set fair terms, and set up a joint committee to train dredgers, mark out approved zones, establish rules and monitor operations along the riverbank, among other measures.
Mr Eworyi also recounted the devastation caused by the opening of the Kpong and Amosombo dams along the lower Volta basin and entreated the government to facilitate compensation for victims in the Eastern, Volta and Greater Accra Regions.
He entreated the government to pay compensation to every victim of the 2023 floods downstream of the Volta Lake. Three years on, many families are still waiting. No one should be left out, including the people
“Eastern Region: Kpong, Akuse, Dzidzorkope, Mamakope and Ahenbrom. North Tongu: Mepe, Battor, Battor Vome, Aveyime and New Bakpa. Central Tongu: Adidome and Mafi. South Tongu: Sokpoe, Sogakope, Tefle, Vume, Gonu, Agbave, Alikekope and Agorme. Ada East: Big Ada and Ada Foah, and every other community along the Lower Volta that was hit by the floods”, he listed.
“We are not asking to work without rules. We are asking for a fair share of work on our own river, under proper supervision. We want to feed our families, keep our young people out of galamsey, and keep the Lower Volta flowing and our towns safe from floods”, he concluded.