Keep away from quarry sites for your own safety : Lands Ministry orders
The Ministry of Lands and Natural Resources has urged individuals and estate developers to keep away from quarry sites.
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According to the ministry, there were high incidents of encroachment on sites licensed for stone quarrying operations, a situation it described as a big challenge.
It said the blasting of rocks and quarrying could have adverse effects on community members living so close to the sites through vibrations, dust and flying rocks.
Do not live so close
The Chief Inspector of Mines at the Ministry of Lands and Natural Resources, Mr Obiri Yeboah Twumasi, gave the caution when a delegation from the ministry visited some quarry sites at the Gomoa East District in the Central Region to monitor their activities.
Mr Twumasi said residents were supposed to live 500 metres away from stone quarries, and added that there was also supposed to be a buffer zone around the sites.
Nonetheless, he said, individuals and estate developers purchased the buffer zones which were danger zones and developed them into residential areas.
He urged the chiefs who were mostly the custodians of the lands to stop re-selling concession lands to individuals and estate developers.
Residents’ concerns
In interactions with some residents around the quarry sites, they confirmed that explosions and dust from the quarry were causing problems for them, including creating cracks in their buildings and polluting water bodies in the area.
According to some of them, the chiefs and assemblies had also turned a deaf ear to their pleas.
“My two bedroom house collapsed some years ago as a result of the blasting from the various quarry sites. It started gradually and at a point it completely collapsed. I reported to the chiefs but nothing was done up to today”, 54-year-old Mr Kwao Asppei told journalists.
He alleged that he reported the incident to the chiefs of the area who promised to look into it but years after no action had been taken.
Another resident, Mr Bedu Kwaku also said “the excessive noise, dust and vibrations were some challenges that they had to endure for years since the quarries came to the area.
He expressed worry about the fact that the quarry companies never came to the communities to engage the residents or even alerted them during blasting periods.
Madam Florence Mukwa, who had part of her building cracked as a result of the blasting, said residents were never informed by any of the surrounding quarry companies when they were going to blast.
“We are never informed about the blasting and we do not even get to see the owners of the quarries to channel our concerns. We report to the assembly and the chiefs but nothing is done”, she said.
“For me, sometimes I am scared that one day, the building will come down on us. That is my greatest fear,” she added.
