ILLEGAL SAND WINNING PUTS FARMLANDS AND COMMUNITIES AT RISK. BY BENJAMIN ANYETEI

SPECIAL REPORT: ILLEGAL SAND WINNING PUTS FARMLANDS AND COMMUNITIES AT RISK Illegal sand winning is putting farmlands, roads and communities in parts of Greater Accra at risk.The activity has left deep pits, destroyed access routes and threatened productive agricultural lands. The National Association of Sand Winning Workers and Tipper Truck Drivers says it is collaborating with the Minerals Commission and NAIMOS to clamp down on the illegal activity. The scale of the problem is stark. Across parts of Ada, Sege and Ningo-Prampram, large stretches of land are being stripped of sand, leaving behind deep craters and damaged farmlands. The practice, locally described as "sand galamsey", is intensifying. High-risk areas identified include Afienya-Ajumador, Asutuare-Bawua Kope and Volivo-Atabui. The Minerals Commission, together with the National Anti-Illegal Mining Operations Secretariat, NAIMOS, has conducted a series of operations against suspected illegal operators.Recent raids have uncovered freshly opened unauthorized sites. According to officials, operators often flee upon the arrival of enforcement teams, abandoning heavy machinery, only to return at night to continue operations. Some residents, fearing for their safety, spoke off camera . As concerns mount, the National Association of Sand Winning Workers and Tipper Truck Drivers says it fully supports legitimate enforcement efforts. The Association's National Chairman and Field Liaison for the Minerals Commission and NAIMOS, Mr. Lyngstern Whyte, raised concerns about individuals allegedly claiming to have the backing of local chiefs and other influential persons to perpetuate the illegal activity. At Ningo-Prampram, excavators retrieved during enforcement operations have been taken to the Ningo-Prampram Police Station for further action.The Association further alleges that some operators use Ghanaian-registered number plates in their illegal operations - a development it says requires closer scrutiny by the relevant authorities. For the Association, the challenge is no longer just locating illegal sand-winning sites, but identifying who is behind them, how they evade enforcement, and who continues to benefit when the machines and trucks get out of sight .