The joint military/police taskforce, Operation Vanguard, set up to enforce the ban on illegal mining has arrested a total of 811 illegal miners since it started operating on July 31.
Commander, Colonel Michael Amoah-Ayisi, said it had additionally seized 1,788 mining equipment and completely destroyed 2,919 Chang fa machines (floating platforms).
He was speaking at an end of year social event organized for the military and police officers at its Ashanti Region Forward Operating Base (FOB) at Wawase - Obuasi.
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He expressed happiness about the strong support and cooperation they were receiving from people in the communities.
Col Amoah-Ayisi said their keen interest – the eagerness to save the water bodies, forests, farms and farmlands from destruction was most refreshing and asked that this continued.
He also saluted the government for its unwavering commitment to get the job successfully done.
He reminded the officers and men to maintain high level of professionalism, loyalty and dedication to the assigned task.
They should do everything to live up to expectation and that they could not afford to disappoint – let their country down.
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He added, "It is the responsibility of the task force to keep Ghana and the environment, clean and save".
The Obuasi Circuit Court Judge, Frederick Nawurah, praised the task force for the good job it had been doing to protect the rivers, streams and natural resources.
He noted that running around “in the dark in uncovered pit-infested areas†was no easy thing doing.
Similar social events were held in the Western and Eastern FOBs at Tarkwa and New Abirem.