Environmental groups have strongly condemned an attempted illegal diversion of the sacred Birim River at Apapam in the Eastern Region by a mining company allegedly linked to businessman Emmanuel Gamah.
In a joint statement issued on Monday, August 18, 2025, A Rocha Ghana, the Ghana Coalition Against Galamsey, and the Concerned Citizens of the Atewa Landscape revealed that the company had dug trenches and built a diversion channel to redirect the river at a point where it flows out of the Atewa Forest Reserve.
According to the groups, the operation not only breached environmental laws but also destroyed a three-year-old ecological restoration site that contained valuable tree species such as Mahogany, Emire, and Ofram. Intervention by the Water Resources Commission, Minerals Commission, and the National Intelligence Bureau (NIB) led to the suspension of the activity and the arrest of a security operative at the scene.
The organisations are calling for the immediate arrest and prosecution of Mr. Gamah and all those involved, as well as the restoration of the damaged site. They are also demanding investigations into possible complicity by local authorities.
They further urged government and traditional leaders in the Akyem Abuakwa area to take decisive action against what they described as the growing impunity of illegal mining operations that continue to devastate rivers and forests nationwide.
Source: AdomOnline
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