A task force will be established by the Ministry of Lands and Natural Resources to keep an eye on unlawful mining near the nation's water resources.

Benito Owusu-Bio, the deputy minister in charge of lands and forestry, claimed the action will assist reduce river pollution.

He claims that the rate at which river bodies are being destroyed bothers him.

“We are making sure we will be able to address the issue of illegal mining especially on the river bodies.

According to Mr. Owusu-Bio, the government has equipped personnel with the training and resources they need to effectively carry out their mandates.

“As we speak now, river guards have been trained, the government has procured speedboats and soon they are going to start operations and monitoring of the river bodies,” he disclosed on the sidelines of a joint technical meeting in Accra between the Ghana Boundary Commission and the Cote D’Ivoire Boundary Commission."

The Deputy Minister observed that the previous strategy of only going to the river when there was information about mining operations had not produced the desired outcomes and was certain that the current strategy was the best.

“Now these speedboats and the river guards who have been trained how to swim and who will be given the necessary equipment like swimsuit and everything will be there and when they say they are monitoring.

“They [will] monitor from where the river meets the sea and continue upstream where the river finds its source,” he said.

The public was urged by Mr. Owusu-Bio to assist the government's efforts to put a stop to unlawful mining.

“We need the full complement of all equipment;-you need drones, you need speedboats, we need trained human resources; the military, and you and I, including the media. When we come together and collaborate, we will be able to end this matter,” he added.