Galamsey activities redirect Mankran Stream, destroy farms, and threaten flooding in Okroase

Residents of Okroase in the Ahafo Ano Southwest district of the Ashanti Region are living in fear of a possible flood due to illegal mining activities that have redirected the flow of the Mankran Stream. The mining operations have caused extensive damage to rice farms and a commercial coconut and oil palm nursery, destroying thousands of seedlings and leaving behind a milky sludge.

Emmanuel Amponsah, a farmer, expressed his distress over the loss of over 200,000 cedis worth of his oil palm and coconut seedlings. Just a few kilometers away, another farmer, Nana Yaw, is also counting his losses as his one-acre rice farm is now submerged in the sludge. The miners have excavated land near farmlands and residential areas, altering the natural course of the stream and causing water to flow into adjoining farms.

Efforts to halt the mining operations have been unsuccessful, with the miners continuing to dig deep into the earth. The once-clear Mankran Stream is now a pale shadow of its former self due to illegal mining. Residents have pushed for authorities to halt the operations and de-silt the waterway, but their pleas seem to have fallen on deaf ears.

The community fears that a major downpour could lead to devastating floods, causing further damage to homes and farms.