Conservation group A Rocha Ghana has confirmed that illegal activities aimed at diverting the Birim River at Apapam — where the river exits the Atewa Forest Reserve — have been halted following swift intervention by state agencies.
According Deputy National Coordinator of Arocha Ghana, Daryl Bosu, officers from the Water Resources Commission (WRC), the Minerals Commission, and the National Intelligence Bureau (NIB) visited the site on Monday to assess the extent of the unauthorised operations. During the inspection, an on-site security guard was taken in for questioning by the NIB but released within an hour.
The inspection revealed that the diversion channel had been cut directly through a three-year-old ecological restoration site, destroying several valuable indigenous tree species including mahogany (Khaya spp.), emire (Terminalia ivorensis), and ofram (Terminalia superba). A Rocha Ghana described the environmental damage as “severe” and warned that the rehabilitated habitat may take years to recover.
Checks by the NGO suggest that the equipment used in the operation belongs to Mr. Emmanuel Gamah, an established miner based in Kwabeng in the Eastern Region.
Community leaders in Apapam have distanced themselves from the activity, with the Chief of Apapam telling A Rocha Ghana on Sunday that the community had no prior knowledge of — and strongly opposes — the attempted diversion.
A Rocha Ghana is calling for “decisive action to apprehend and prosecute the perpetrators,” stressing that environmental crimes of this magnitude cannot go unpunished.