Chief Minister David Moinina Sengeh has praised the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) for its unwavering dedication to upholding its fundamental duty of preserving the environment and securing the well-being of present and future generations within Sierra Leone.

With recent accomplishments underscoring their effectiveness, the EPA has successfully executed a mission targeting the eradication of detrimental dredge mining along the Pampana River.

The agency’s proactive actions in the villages of Maneteh and Maseneh in the Tane Chiefdom, Tonkolili District, where they dismantled and incinerated twenty (20) dredges, were promptly followed by a similar triumphant operation in Kenema and Bo Districts. Here, a total of twenty-seven (27) dredges were rendered inoperative through incineration. Chief Minister Sengeh has enthusiastically embraced these actions, recognizing the agency’s timely and vital intervention.

The repercussions of dredge mining have been well-documented, with its contributions to waterway pollution leading to a host of challenges for downstream communities across various regions of Sierra Leone.

In a statement issued by the Chief Minister, he underscored the collective responsibility for national development, emphasizing that the consequences of unchecked illegal mining upstream ultimately ripple downstream, adversely affecting families and communities.

The Chief Minister’s sentiments stressed the critical importance of halting unlawful and hazardous activities, cautioning against the toll they take on the nation’s prosperity and the well-being of its inhabitants.

He expressed profound gratitude to the EPA for their unyielding dedication and invaluable service in pursuing a healthier, safer environment for the generations to come.