The Member of Parliament for Tatale-Sanguli, Ntebe Ayo William, has stated that illegal mining, widely known as galamsey, cannot be entirely eradicated in Ghana but can only be minimized through targeted interventions.

His comments come amid calls on the government to clamp down on illegal mining, which continues to pose a major threat to Ghana’s environment and water resources.

Speaking on Citi Eyewitness News on Wednesday, March 18, he explained that the practice has existed for decades but has become more destructive in recent years due to the use of heavy machinery.

According to him, earlier forms of illegal mining involved basic tools such as shovels, which had a relatively limited environmental impact. However, the increasing use of chanfans and earth-moving equipment, including excavators, has significantly worsened the scale of destruction, particularly in forest reserves and water bodies.

Despite his concerns, the Tatale-Sanguli MP commended the ruling National Democratic Congress (NDC) government for what he described as progress made so far in addressing the issue.

He noted that current efforts are focused on protecting critical natural resources, especially rivers and forests.

“What is galamsey at all? Galamsey is illegal mining. So if I go to my farm and there is gold there and I decide to I mean mine my gold, that is illegal, that is galamsey. We will control that one. The government is on the point to stop mining in water bodies and in the forest.

“But for galamsey, you cannot stop galamsey in Ghana. To be honest with you, you can only minimise it. How do you end it? We are fighting it, and we are fighting it in two ways: water and forest. Don’t destroy the forest, don’t pollute the water,” he said.