EPA Launches Crackdown on Illegal Mining Along Rokel River After Viral Video Exposure
After a Sierra Leonean citizen exposed illegal mining activities along the Rokel River near the Bumbuna waterfalls in a viral video, accusing authorities of remaining silent or compromising the situation, the Environment Protection Agency Sierra Leone has swiftly responded to the growing public concern.
The viral footage highlighted ongoing mining activities allegedly carried out by foreigners along the riverbed during the temporary closure of the Bumbuna weirs for maintenance.
Preliminary findings by the EPA revealed that artisanal mining along sections of the exposed riverbed has historically occurred during periods when water levels are reduced for dam maintenance. However, this year’s operations raised major environmental concerns following reports that excavators and other heavy machinery were being used, significantly increasing the scale of destruction and environmental risk.
In response, the EPA’s Northern Region Team conducted an enforcement raid earlier this week. During the operation, several mining water pumps were destroyed, while an excavator operator was arrested and handed over to the Criminal Investigations Department (CID) at the Mena Police Station in Makeni for further investigation.
The Agency also engaged local authorities, including the Paramount Chief and a Section Chief who doubles as the area’s mining chairman. According to the EPA, the Paramount Chief disclosed that community-level interventions had already been initiated, including the establishment of a joint patrol team comprising personnel from the Republic of Sierra Leone Armed Forces and the Sierra Leone Police.
The EPA noted that the local enforcement efforts appear to have contributed to a significant reduction in excavator activities during the Agency’s follow-up monitoring visit.
Describing riverbed mining as a serious environmental threat, particularly when heavy equipment is involved, the EPA warned that such activities along the Rokel River could severely disrupt the river ecosystem, destroy aquatic habitats, increase sedimentation, alter natural water flow, undermine hydroelectric power generation, and threaten communities that depend on the river for water and livelihood.
The Agency assured the public that it will continue to closely monitor the situation and take all necessary regulatory and enforcement measures against those engaged in illegal environmental practices.
Members of the public have also been encouraged to support environmental protection efforts by reporting illegal mining and other environmental violations across the country through the EPA’s toll-free hotline, 1999, accessible on all Orange lines.
