The National Anti-Illegal Mining Operations Secretariat (NAIMOS) says the number of changfan machines operating on the River Tano has greatly reduced following sustained enforcement under its Operation Water Shield campaign against illegal mining.
According to MyJoyOnline, NAIMOS spokesperson Paa Kwesi Schandorf said in a Facebook post on 30 October 2026 that a team of 15 journalists had accompanied officials to the river that day to assess the impact of the operation.
Mr Schandorf credited operations led by the NAIMOS Director of Operations, Colonel K. S. Appiah, and said surveillance would continue on the Tano and other critical water sources.
He cautioned that the destruction of hundreds of changfans did not mean the river had been restored, describing it as a starting point, and said further measures would follow under the Minister for Lands and Natural Resources, Emmanuel Armah-Kofi Buah.
Operation Water Shield was launched in September 2026 to target illegal mining along rivers including the Birim, Ankobra, Tano, Bia, Pra and Offin. On 19 October, NAIMOS destroyed 92 changfan machines and arrested 3 suspected illegal miners at Asemkrom in the Aowin Municipality, MyJoyOnline reported.
Chale News noted that NAIMOS has not said whether the reduction seen on the stretch shown to journalists reflects the wider Tano basin. No new arrests were reported in the update.