The exercise by a team of police officers, officials of the assembly and the local people comes amid the growing destruction of farmlands and water bodies through unrestrained mining activities. Mr. Isaac Ohemeng Prempeh, the Presiding Member, said the assembly was determined to get tough with the miners to protect the environment.

It would go to every length to make sure that everybody did the right thing – end the lawlessness and impunity. He complained about the situation where deep uncovered mine pit had been left all over the place, something, he said had become a major danger to the people in the communities.

Mr. Prempeh warned that this could not continue and that the fight to safeguard the environment was only going to intensify and would be relentless. Those eager to go into gold mining should be ready and must accept to go through the legal process or be chased out, he added.

Atwima-Nwabiagya is one of the epicenters of illegal gold mining in the Ashanti Region with vast stretches of farmland and forest completely wrecked.