The rapid response team of the Bekwai Forest District has set fire to an excavator, changfan machines, and water pump machines at the Apamprama Forest Reserve in the Ashanti Region.
The district forest manager, Ernest Adofo, disclosed this in an interview with Adom News.
According to Mr. Adofo, the team acted on intelligence indicating illegal mining activities along the Oda River within the Apamprama Forest Reserve in the Amansie Central District.
“We received information about some illegal miners operating in the forest reserve. Upon arrival, we found and destroyed one excavator, eight changfan machines, and six water pump machines,” he revealed.
He noted that the miners fled the scene before the team arrived, leaving behind the equipment used for the illegal activities.
Mr. Adofo emphasized the Forestry Commission’s commitment to protecting the forest and water bodies from destruction, warning that no one would be allowed to deplete the reserve’s natural resources.
“Our forests and rivers are national treasures, and we will not sit idle for them to be destroyed in the name of illegal mining,” he stressed.
The Apamprama Forest Reserve has become a hotspot for illegal mining activities, raising concerns about the ecological damage caused by these operations.
The Bekwai Forest District has, however, assured the public of its continuous efforts to curb such activities and preserve the forest’s integrity.