The Executive Director of the Environmental Protection Agency, Dr. Emmanuel K. Urey Yarkpawolo, has called on the government to impose strict regulations on the importation and movement of excavators and dredges across the country.
Yarpawolo described the rapid proliferation of the equipment as a “environmental threat.”
He warned that the unrestricted importation and use of heavy mining equipment have contributed to widespread environmental degradation, including deforestation, destruction of fertile soil, and pollution of rivers and other water sources.
Yarkpawolo spoke during a radio interview over the weekend in Gbarnga.
He expressed concern over the increased number of excavators and dredges that have entered the country and operating in forests and mining communities without proper oversight.
Many individuals operating as Class ‘C’ miners, Yarkpawolo said, are legally expected to use basic mining tools such as shovels and pans, are now renting and using excavators to conduct mining activities equivalent to Class ‘B’ operations without complying with the regulations governing such activities.
He described the situation as “alarming, noting that excavators are now visibly parked along major streets in Monrovia and other parts of the country before being transported to forests and river bodies for illegal mining activities.”
Dr. Yarkpawolo disclosed that during a recent EPA monitoring exercise in Gbarpolu County, authorities identified nearly 19 dredges operating on a single river, raising concerns about how such costly equipment have entered remote forest regions without adequate monitoring or documentation. He said, excavators and dredges significantly increase the scale and environmental impact of mining operations, and should therefore be subjected to tighter national control measures. Meanwhile, Dr. Yarkpawolo has urged government to introduce regulations, not only on the importation of the machines, but also on their movement from one location to another in the country. He proposed that operators transporting excavators and dredges should present valid EPA permits at checkpoints to verify whether the equipment are being used for legally approved Class ‘B’ mining operations.
Such measures, he said, would help authorities ensure that the machines remain within authorized operational areas that are not being used for illegal mining activities.
He warned that the illegal operation and uncontrolled movement of excavators and dredges have rapidly destroyed forests and undermined ongoing national environmental protection efforts.