Grand Kru County is at the center of the latest fight against illegal mining with report of 485 excavators.
The news followed a government disclosure that an estimated 485 excavators are operating illegally in the county.
The revelation comes as the national taskforce to combat illicit mining activities prepares to deploy joint security forces to mining hotspots.
Taskforce chairman, Abraham Kromah says, the reported presence of such a huge number of excavators in Grand Kru reflects the growing scale of unauthorized mining, and the potential damage being done to the environment, and mineral resources.
Kromah made the disclosure on Tuesday September 8, during the Ministry of Information’s regular press briefing in Monrovia.
He alleged that foreign operators have moved into remote communities, recruited locals with promises of monthly payments of up to US$500, while they engaged in mining activities that have polluted water sources, and damaged the environment.
Kromah estimates that the country loses about US$1.6 billion in mineral resources annually to illicit mining activities.
“Government will no longer tolerate mining operations conducted outside the legal, and regulatory framework,” Kromah warned.
Under Executive Order #167, the national taskforce brings together soldiers of the Armed Forces of Liberia, Liberia National Police, Liberia Immigration Service, Ministry of Justice, Environmental Protection Agency, and Ministry of Mines and Energy.
The agencies are to identify illegal mining sites, enforce the law, address environmental destruction, and prosecute offenders.
Grand Kru, Sinoe, and Grand Gedeh, are among the first counties targeted by the new enforcement operation before the campaign expands nationwide.
The government also plans to use drones, and other surveillance technology to identify mining activities in hard-to-reach forested areas.
Meanwhile, Liberia has been divided into six operational zones to facilitate the nationwide campaign against illegal mining activities.
Kromah has declared a “zero-tolerance” policy against illegal mining, warning that authorities will seize unauthorized equipment, close illegal mining sites, and prosecute violators.
The government says the crackdown aims to protect the natural resources, reduce environmental destruction, and ensure that the mineral wealth benefits Liberian people.
