A dispute has emerged in Salman in the Ellembelle District of the Western Region over the extraction of clay from abandoned mining pits.
The disagreement involves some youth in the community and the chief of Salman, Nana Kwamina Bentum II, over an economic initiative that residents say had initially been agreed upon by both the traditional authority and members of the community.
Abandoned mining pits have become a common environmental and safety challenge across several mining communities in the district, where both legal and illegal mining activities have taken place over the years.
Communities such as Salman, Nkroful, Teleku Bokazo and Anwia have seen large areas of land degraded by mining operations, leaving behind open pits and damaged landscapes.
Studies and field assessments in the area indicate that mining activities have altered land-use patterns, reduced soil fertility and polluted nearby water bodies through runoff and mining waste.
Beyond environmental damage, the pits have also posed safety risks, with some communities in the Ellembelle area recording injuries and deaths linked to drowning incidents and disputes over access to mining concessions.
Against this backdrop, residents say a meeting between members of the royal family and community members led to an agreement to allow a contractor to extract clay deposits from some of the abandoned pits in Salman.
According to community members, the initiative was intended to create a local economic activity that would help raise funds for development projects.
A sharing arrangement was reportedly agreed upon, with a portion of the proceeds allocated to the traditional authority while the remainder would be used to support community projects.
Residents say the arrangement initially progressed without problems, and the contractor reportedly used part of the proceeds to purchase roofing sheets and cement to begin work on some identified projects in the community.
However, the contractor has recently been directed to halt the clay extraction.
Residents later learned that the directive came from the chief.
They noted that some community members are concerned because the decision was reportedly taken without consultation with those who were part of the initial agreement.
The development has since sparked discussions within the community about how best to manage abandoned mining pits while balancing environmental restoration with the need for economic opportunities.
“We have been reliably informed that the chief wanted to take all the proceeds, including those meant for the community. Now, because the chief is not being allowed to take all the proceeds, he has decided to bring in the police, the military and security from Adamus Resources to intimidate and frustrate the contractor,” he alleged.
“We are therefore appealing to the President and relevant bodies to intervene and bring the chief to order. We believe this could relieve the government of other development burdens.”
When contacted, Nana Kwamina Bentum II explained that his decision to halt the activity followed concerns raised by authorities in Accra.
According to him, the clay deposits were needed for land restoration, specifically for backfilling abandoned pits left by previous mining activities.
“I received a call from Accra expressing concern over the ongoing clay mining at the site. I was told that the clay would be used to cover the pits left behind; therefore, the contractor should be asked to stop. So I informed him of the new development and proceeded to ask him to stop,” he said, adding that he later learnt the contractor had continued working at the site.
