The National Anti-Illegal Mining Operations Secretariat (NAIMOS) has initiated a new campaign, Operation WATER SHIELD, aimed at safeguarding Ghana’s major water bodies from the devastating effects of illegal mining (galamsey).
Unlike previous efforts that primarily focused on raiding miners at extraction sites, this new strategy aims to strike at the root of the problem by targeting the financiers, sponsors, and businesses that supply the equipment fueling these operations.
According to a statement released on Friday, September 11, Operation WATER SHIELD represents a shift from isolated raids to a sustained, intelligence-led campaign designed to secure priority river systems from their sources down to downstream communities and water treatment facilities.
The operation will focus heavily on rivers that have suffered severe environmental damage, including the Birim, Ankobra, Tano, Bia, Pra, and Offin, as well as sections of the Black and White Volta.
NAIMOS indicated that it is collaborating closely with the police, military, and other state agencies to cut off the logistical networks supplying miners. The primary objectives include denying illegal miners access to riverbanks, dismantling mining supply chains, and disrupting the financial structures that sustain the illicit trade.
Key components of the operation include, protecting strategic river source areas., disrupting criminal and financial networks supporting illegal mining., supporting the restoration of degraded water bodies and stablishing continuous monitoring to prevent miners from returning to cleared areas.
The Secretariat emphasized that the operation will be firm, sustained, and conducted within the bounds of the law. Any excavators, changfan machines, water pumps, or dredging equipment found to be used for galamsey will be seized and immobilized or dealt with in accordance with applicable regulations.
