{"id":54567,"date":"2025-05-12T12:00:02","date_gmt":"2025-05-12T12:00:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sotnews.agency\/?p=54567"},"modified":"2025-05-12T12:00:02","modified_gmt":"2025-05-12T12:00:02","slug":"konongo-odumase-a-ticking-time-bomb-as-illegal-mining-creeps-into-homes-erastus-asare-donkor","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sotnews.agency\/?p=54567","title":{"rendered":"Konongo Odumase a \u2018ticking time bomb\u2019 as illegal mining creeps into homes \u2013 Erastus Asare Donkor"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Environmental journalist with the Multimedia Group, Erastus Asare Donkor, has raised alarm over a disturbing and dangerous phenomenon in Konongo Odumase, in the Ashanti Region, where residents are reportedly living atop a vast network of illicit mine shafts dug directly beneath their homes.<\/p>\n

Speaking on JoyNews\u2019 News Desk on Monday, 12 May, Mr Donkor described the town as \u201ca crime scene\u201d, citing blatant violations of Ghana\u2019s Minerals and Mining Act, which prohibits mining activities within human settlements and within 100 metres of public roads.<\/p>\n

Despite these legal restrictions, residents \u2014 both landlords and tenants \u2014 are said to be complicit in, or at the very least aware of, illegal mining operations that have hollowed out large swathes of the town\u2019s foundation.<\/p>\n

\u201cThese are landlords and tenants in action. They know the repercussions, they are aware,\u201d Donkor said.<\/p>\n

He added: \u201cThey are the same people who had blocked this particular road because they fear that if any heavy-duty vehicle passes that street, it could cave in.\u201d<\/p>\n

Perhaps most shocking is Donkor\u2019s revelation that in some Konongo Odumase homes, the entrances to mine shafts are located inside bedrooms.<\/p>\n

\u201cIf you see somebody entering a house in Odumase and you think that he is going to sleep or something, he is going down a pit,\u201d he explained. \u201cThere are many of these houses like that.\u201d<\/p>\n

The journalist warned that the town is essentially built on a fragile foundation, with numerous underground tunnels threatening the structural integrity of buildings and roads. He cautioned that any significant tremor or ground movement could trigger a catastrophic collapse, endangering hundreds of lives.<\/p>\n

Despite the clear danger and legal breaches, Donkor lamented the apparent inaction of authorities.<\/p>\n

\u201cUnfortunately, this is not a crime in the eyes of the police in Odumase,\u201d he said. \u201cMany of them know about this. They turn a blind eye to it. No arrests have been made. No attempts have been made to even stop this practice.\u201d<\/p>\n

Efforts by JoyNews to speak with the local chief on the matter were unsuccessful. According to Donkor, he was repeatedly told the chief was unavailable and unwilling to comment.<\/p>\n

\u201cOdumase is sitting on a ticking time bomb,\u201d Donkor concluded. \u201cIf there is any major shake, we are bound to witness a major disaster in that town.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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Environmental journalist with the Multimedia Group, Erastus Asare Donkor, has raised alarm over a disturbing and dangerous phenomenon in Konongo Odumase, in the Ashanti Region, where residents are reportedly living atop a vast network of illicit mine shafts dug directly beneath their homes. Speaking on JoyNews\u2019 News Desk on Monday, 12 May, Mr Donkor described […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"rop_custom_images_group":[],"rop_custom_messages_group":[],"rop_publish_now":"initial","rop_publish_now_accounts":{"facebook_2277560469115098_106292521332774":"","twitter_aToxNzczMzI3Njk4OTg4ODUxMjAxOw==_1773327698988851200":""},"rop_publish_now_history":[],"rop_publish_now_status":"pending","_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-54567","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","6":"category-blog"},"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/sotnews.agency\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/54567","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/sotnews.agency\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/sotnews.agency\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sotnews.agency\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sotnews.agency\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=54567"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/sotnews.agency\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/54567\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/sotnews.agency\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=54567"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sotnews.agency\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=54567"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sotnews.agency\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=54567"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}