Three leading environmental and anti-mining advocacy groups have expressed outrage over what they describe as an illegal attempt to divert the sacred Birim River at Apapam in the Eastern Region.

In a joint statement issued on Monday, A Rocha Ghana, the Ghana Coalition Against Galamsey, and the Concerned Citizens of Atewa Landscape said the act, allegedly carried out by a mining company linked to one Mr. Emmanuel Gamah of Kwabeng, represents an assault on Ghana’s natural heritage and a violation of environmental laws.

The groups allege that the company excavated trenches and constructed a diversion channel aimed at redirecting the river at a section where it exits the ecologically critical Atewa Forest Reserve.

They added that the operation was halted only after swift public alerts and intervention.

Officers from the Water Resources Commission (WRC), Minerals Commission, and the National Intelligence Bureau (NIB) subsequently inspected the site, with the NIB reportedly arresting a security operative for questioning.

The statement noted that in the process of the attempted diversion, the miner bulldozed through a three-year-old ecological restoration site, destroying tree species such as mahogany, emire, and ofram.

The advocacy groups have called on the Ministry of Lands and Natural Resources, the Environmental Protection Agency, WRC, and the Minerals Commission to go beyond suspending the operation.

They are demanding the arrest and prosecution of Mr. Gamah and his associates for illegal mining, environmental destruction, and cultural desecration.

They further want the trenches covered, the destroyed area fully restored, and investigations into possible complicity of state officials or local leaders.

“We cannot build a sustainable future with this kind of escalating destruction of our rivers and forests,” the groups warned, urging government and traditional authorities in Akyem Abuakwa to act decisively to end the growing impunity of illegal miners.

The Birim River, which flows from the Atewa Forest, is a vital water source for communities and industries in the Eastern Region, but has come under severe threat from illegal mining activities in recent years.