The Member of Parliament for Mpraeso Constituency, Davis Ansah Opoku, known as OPK, has warned ‘Soon Mining’ to halt its mining activities because it has not acquired an operational permit from the Assembly to operate.
Report on the current situation indicates that the entire Municipality of Kwahu South is unhappy about the company’s operations.
According to the Mpraeso legislator, it is rather unfortunate that activities of Soon Mining are destroying the Pra River which lies 20 meters from the mining site which the Kwahu South Municipal Assembly members have expressed their discomfort about.
Speaking on Nkawkaw based Agoo FM’s evening news analysis program “Na Wo Kaa No Sen” Wednesday, he stated that “We went to the site to inspect their operations and in fact, the Municipal Chief Executive (MCE) Emmanuel Attah Ofori Snr was so sad and emotionally down as a result of what we saw. The Assembly has reported their activities to the Minerals Commission and other agencies”
“The entire Kwahu community frowns on the operation of Soon Mining which will eventually destroy cocoa lands and river Pra.”
A law has been passed that restricts the operations of gold miners whose activities are particularly close to a hundred (100) meters from a river.
However, Soon Mining company’s activities are just ten (10) to fifteen (15) meters away from the Pra River. This, the Mpraeso Member of Parliament expressed his discomfort about since, for many years, the Pra River has served people in the Kwahu South, especially for irrigational purposes adding that residents in the Kwahu South Municipal are noted for farming.
OPK told Agoo FM that he would draft a letter signed in his name to be addressed to the Ministry of Lands and Natural Resources to deal with the situation.
Additionally, he said a monitoring team has already been established and is on grounds to monitor the activities of the company.
The Mpraeso MP urged people within the Kwahu South Municipality to be on guard and report to the appropriate quarters anytime the company comes around to operate.
Galamsey menace has become rampant in Kwahu West and South Municipalities.
Source: Kasapafmonline.com/Ebenezer Kojo Nyavor
