–Mines Min. Murray says Artisanal Mining damaging the country
By Mark N. Mengonfia,mmenginfia@gmail.com
The issue of artisanal mining remains a major challenge in safeguarding the forest and water bodies of Liberia, says Mining & Energy Minister, Gesler E. Murray.
Minister Murray decried the use of heavily duty machines, chemicals on the water bodies, damaging the forest of Liberia in those various mining sites.
He was speaking on Thursday, January 9, 2020 at the Ministry of Mining and Energy in Monrovia at donation ceremony by a local company, CT.COM Liberia.
Minster Murray said if the wave of artisanal mining is not regulated, Liberia will lose its values when it comes to the richness of its landscape and wide life.
Although, it is the Mining & Energy ministry that is clothed with the responsibility to grant artisanal miners official approval to operate in Liberia, but in mining minister tone regulating those artisanal miners has become a serious challenge to the ministry.
Receiving the donation of Motorbikes from the CT.COM Liberia of Christopher H.S Onanuga, the Mines Minister indicated that those bikes will help his team go after those who are illegally mining in Liberia bushes and damaging the water bodies with harmful chemicals.
He went on to say that visibility on the field will greatly help the ministry regulate the sector adding “those bikes are going to be used to reach those far to reach places.”
He indicated that “this year is going to be a year of deliverables; we are going to comb every length and breadth of this country.”
Liberia has 15 political subdivisions and most of those places have low scale miners, but CT . OM Liberia only able to make a donation of five motorbikes.
He stressed the need for other institutions to come to their aid in ensuring that they as a ministry get logistical support to properly regulate the mining sector of Liberia.
“We need about one hundred (100) bikes…… I am calling on other institutions to join the bandwagon of donation to us to improve of capacity to that we can effective implement our mandate” the mining ministry said.
Speaking earlier, Christopher H.S Onanuga said his group saw the need to aid the ministry with logistical support for to help preserve the tourism sites of Liberia.
He said that he has observed that low scare miners are hugely damaging the landscape and places that should be used for tourism purposes, carbon credits.
He said one of the most comparing needs of the institution in inspecting.
According to him, the donation he and his group made will pave the way for others to invest and as well donate to the ministry.
“We will bring people who say they love Liberia for them to help.”
He went on to say that “we believe that in 2020, we should do not of words in little terms but plenty of actions in more terms.”
He handed over the keys of four motorbikes promising that the remaining one was going to be made available the next day after the donation.