Residents at Ekurabadze and Adamo in the Mfantseman Municipality of the Central Region are living in fear over the operations of a quarry company, Narh Global Services.
Several houses in the area have reportedly been destroyed by blasting of rocks by the firm which is said to have commenced operations somewhere in 2017.
Residents say apart from the destruction of their homes, the blasting, which is being carried out by the firm, is having adverse effects on their health, safety, and security.
Speaking in an interview on Adom FM’s Beyi W’ano segment, the Regional Director of the National Disaster Management Organisation (NADMO), Joe Donkor, said several houses are on the verge of collapse.
He blamed the cracks on the distance within which the company is operating, adding their buffer area is about 500metres instead of a distance not less than about 1,000 metres.
Mr Donkor, among other things, said their checks have revealed the company’s operating license expired in 2019 yet they are still working despite the threat it poses to the residents.
“We don’t know how the Minerals Commission decided to give the operating permits but as it stands now, the documentation is not much problem but the lives and property at risk.
“To make matters worse, the Assembly also give waybills and tickets to the trucks that carry stones out of the quarry. So do they want to tell us they are not aware of the danger?” he bemoaned.
ALSO READ:
The Head of Inspectorate at NADMO, Richard Yartey, who has also visited the area, speaking on the same show added the extent of damage is nothing to write home about.
According to him, the Director-General, Prempeh Agyemang, summoned the owner who has only been identified as K Phones, but he refused to show up.
Following the development, Mr Yartey explained letters will be written with the District Security Council, Regional Minerals Commission as well as the company in question copied and served.
They will then expect the owner to show up not later than Wednesday, November 3, 2021, a directive he said will inform their next line of action.