Scores of youth in Dormaa Traditional Area in the Brong-Ahafo region are fuming with anger over what they have described as �deliberate attempts� by the chiefs and elders of Dormaa to sell their birth rights to illegal artisanal mining operators (otherwise known as galamsey operators).
The obviously peeved youth could not fathom why the chiefs and elders of Dormaa would unilaterally be selling fertile lands and water bodies to galamsey operators whose activities keep on destroying the natural resources in the area.
The youth in an interview told Today that the �irresponsible� mining activities of the galamsey operators were threatening over 250,000 lives as a result of pollution of their drinking water.
Today�s findings revealed that the areas which are hard-hit by the activities of the illegal miners included Berekum, Goaso, Mim, Kenyase and Hwidiem all with a population of over 250,000.
The youth pointed out that the galamsey operations which started about two years ago in few communities have now taken over the whole Dormaa township.
These illegal activities, the youth lamented, has destroyed the flora and fauna in Dormaa.
That worrying situation, the youth told Today, has compelled the Omanhene of Dormaa Traditional Area, Nana Oseadieyo Osagyefo Agyeman Badu II, to issue a directive to all his divisional and sub-chiefs to desist from selling or dealing with any galamsey operator(s.)
Today learnt that Nana Oseadieyo Osagyefo Agyeman Budu II further vowed to sanction any of his sub-chiefs who flout the directive.
But, according to the youth, the said directive had been flouted with impunity by most of the sub-chiefs.
And some of these sub-chiefs, the youth alleged, had even gone ahead to sign a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the galamsey operators in exchange for social amenities and money.
What was even disquieting, the visibly angry youth said, was that most of these chiefs who consented to these acts were not residents of the affected communities.
The affected communities however included Dormaa Akwamu, Asuotiano, Wamanafo, Kyeremasu, Subinkrom, Kobedi and Asopra.
The paper also observed that early on the indigenes of Akontanim resisted these illegal operators in their community.
That move, Today further uncovered, was because the Biaso Water Treatment Plant for Dormaa and its environs derived its source from these towns upstream.
Consequently, the youth warned that if the activities of the galamsey operators were not stopped they could spread to communities including Tronang which is close to the Biaso Water Treatment Plant, Manteware, Asikasu and Kwadwokumikrom.
According to the youth, another worrying development was that these illegal mining operators in their attempt to infiltrate Sromani forged some documents purported to have been issued by the Minerals Commission.
Nonetheless, what had compounded the problem was the lukewarm attitude of the Municipal and District Security Committee towards the operations of these illegal miners.
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