A recent near-fatal incident involving a massive rolling stones at Buoho in the Afigya Kwabre South District has dramatically highlighted the extreme danger faced by the residents and the urgent appeal for the immediate removal of all encroachers from the quarry zones.
Residents who have encroached the quarry areas at Buoho a town near Kumasi were on Friday November 7th thrown into a state of panic.
when some huge pebbles suddenly rolled down the hill near the encroachers.
The stones it was gathered narrowly missed houses and its occupants, otherwise an unprecedented tragedy might have hit the country.
On the stage the residents initially suspected that the incident was caused by the quarry workers but it was not .
However a probe carried out by the correspondence revealed that the fallling of the stones was a natural geological hazard.
Mr. Emmanuel Addai Manager of Kaas Products Limited who has added his voice to the calls for the removal of the encroachers explained that the incident was likely caused by a natural phenomenon known as avalanche.
He said where large stones resting on others become dislodged and roll down it slopes without human intervention.
He also linked this natural disaster which he said normally happens at a remote quarry zones to erosions where naked stones are not protected by forest.
Mr. Addai stressed that this natural hazard that occurred on November 7th poses a threat to nearby residents because those heavy stones are exposed to heavy rainfall and erosion without the stones been protected by forest.
He indicated that people are legally advised to avoid living near quarry areas but to no avail.
He emphasizised that the existing laws prohibit habitation in these zones.
It is very unfortunate that people still encroach on these areas, making the work of our quarry workers to become difficult.
Mr. Addai stated that the encroachments often lead to operational difficulties and financial losses for the quarrying companies.
He said following the near-disaster on Friday November 7th quarry companies operating within the area have drawn the attention of the Municipal and District Assemblies about the issue.
Adding that the National Disaster Management Organisation (NADMO) and other stakeholders have also been informed to take a decisive action to ensure that encroachers and law defaulters are promptly removed from the dangerous areas.
