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The Minister for Lands and Natural Resources, Mike Hammah has stressed the need to stop the activities of illegal mining operators. �These illegal operators use dangerous chemicals in their operation which pose great health hazards to communities within the areas they operate.� The minister made these remarks when he paid a courtesy call on the Chief Justice, Justice Georgina Wood, in the company of the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Minerals Commission, Ben Aryee, the chief executive of the Forestry Commission Samuel Asari Dartey and Raphael Yeboah of the Forest Service Division last Wednesday in Accra. The minister called for a concerted and sustained effort from the judiciary, security agencies and key stakeholders to stop illegal operators in the natural resources sector from plunging the country into a major environmental crisis. He explained that pollution of several water bodies including the Ankobra and Pra Rivers by galamsey operators with the dangerous substances posed a grave health hazard to people living in the catchment areas. He noted that �the destruction of the Atiwa forest reserve in the Eastern Region, the source of key rivers like the Birim and Densu could cut off supply of potable water to many towns in the southern part of the country, including Accra.� In view of the critical nature of the problem, Hon. Hammah made an urgent appeal to the judiciary to partner the ministry to address the problems by applying the laws to serve as an effective deterrent for these illegal operators and signal government�s determination to clamp down on these illegalities. �Though some of our laws are deficient and outdated, the judiciary could assist by dealing with our cases with dispatch and hand out maximum sentences prescribed by the law to persons convicted of illegal mining and logging.� He also used the occasion to brief Justice Wood on some interventions such as the Land Administration Project and National Renewal and Environmental Governance Project introduced by the ministry to combat the menace. He expressed the view that the challenge could be surmounted if an integrated approach was adopted. He also made a special appeal to the judiciary to help clear the backlog of land cases pending before the courts. In her response, Her Ladyship Georgina Wood expressed alarm at the gravity of illegalities in the sector and advised the minister to develop a capacity building programme under which judges/magistrates and traditional authorities would be sensitized periodically to update their knowledge on laws in the sector. She said that would enable them to contribute their quota to the crusade. The Chief Justice observed that illegal operators appeared to get away with light sentences because some of the existing laws on the sector were outdated. �There is the need to review and enact new laws that would empower judges to give out stiffer sentences to help stamp out illegalities in the sector,� she reiterated. Her Ladyship also advised the sector Minister to set up a team of specialized prosecutors with the requisite training and knowledge of the laws as well as regulations governing the sector to prosecute the ministry�s cases since the police at district courts lacked the technical expertise to prosecute �galamsey� and chainsaw operators. Chief Justice Wood affirmed that the Constitution empowers specialized agencies like the Forestry and Minerals Commission to prosecute their cases, encouraging the sector minister to apply for authorization from the Attorney-General�s Department to help these agencies to effectively combat the menace. Present at the meeting was the Greater Accra Regional Police Commander, DCOP Rose Bio Atinga, who represented the Inspector General of Police (IGP).