The people of Gbonkolenken Chiefdom in Tonkolili District have expressed grave concern over the growing destructive and illegal gold mining activities in their chiefdom.
Tensions are reportedly brewing among locals who have accused the miners, mostly Ghanaians, of conniving with a retired police officer known as SOK and some unscrupulous people in government to run the illegal mining operations in the chiefdom.
Unconfirmed reports say the miners have deployed around 17 dredges.
They have deployed huge caterpillars and mine extensively inland and in the Taia river that runs through the chiefdom.Our sources say the mining already poses a serious threat to the environment in an area that has witnessed serious flooding in recent times.
The areas involved include the mini hydro which for the first time since its construction went without water during July rains.
“If these people are not stopped immediately, our river will dry up completely in the dry season and our hydro dam will stop functioning… these people are not just mining in the river, they are also dredging inland and this is getting very worrying for us.. ” said an indigene who prefers to remain anonymous.
The miners are also reported to have refused to go into any sort of agreement with the chiefdom authorities.
Some residents believe they enjoy protection from some highly placed government officials in Freetown.
Indigenes of Gbonkolenken Chiefdom are calling on the Ministry of Mines and Mineral Resources and other agencies concerned to intervene before the situation gets out of hand.