Due to the illicit operations of sand winners, which are typically carried out at night and with impunity, several coastal settlements in the Central Region run the risk of being inundated.
Although the hazard has been for a long time, Mr. William Goku, the regional environmental officer, stated that the latest trend was alarming and constituted a threat to thousands of coastal residents as well as significant buildings.
He said in an interview on Friday that the wanton behavior was particularly noticeable in Winneba, Apam, Anomabo, Saltpond, Moree, and Biriwa and that he was shocked by the rate of deterioration throughout the 168-kilometer Atlantic coastline.
Others include the adjacent areas of Elmina, Anomabo, and various Cape Coast suburbs such as Bakaano, Brofoyedur, OLA, and the coastline of the University of Cape Coast.
Mr. Goku said: "I won't be surprised to find out one day that the wide picturesque sandy beaches that we used to walk and play on, are no longer there.
"They would have been replaced by ghastly-looking rocky projections that are a danger to swimmers and holidaymakers."
He claimed that the sand Winners worked throughout the night since they were well aware that their acts were forbidden.
They delivered sand to various locations by taking illegal paths through coconut palms at the beaches and loading their trucks from the late hours of the night to the early hours of the morning.
They stated that was how they were able to make ends meet.
According to Mr. Goku, who predicted the region had the worst effects on tourism, it has the most castles and forts, amusement parks, beaches, lagoons, international stingless locations, and the Kromantse deep hole of any region in the nation.
Other sites include the abandoned Asebu historical stone, the location of the Essiam earthenware bowl, and the sacred Otaakra tree between Ekumfi Ekotsi and Ekumfi Akwansa Kokoda. However, these sites might be destroyed if environmental threats were not eliminated.
Mr. Goku regretted that certain dishonest individuals were determined to scoop the stunning shoreline, particularly from Cape Coast to Elmina.
Sand winners and other people who openly defecate along the shoreline were deteriorating and destroying these beaches, which are popular tourist attractions.
The government launched a multi-million Ghana Cedi marine defense project to safeguard the shoreline along the important Accra-Takoradi Highway, but these unlawful actions have been going on for years and presented a serious danger to it.
He said that, among other strict measures, the Cape Coast Metropolitan Assembly had made multiple attempts to curb the criminal activities and had even detained certain sand winners who were being investigated.
Additionally, it has stepped up public education on the radio to educate listeners about the negative impacts of sand winning and open defecation.
Sand mining, according to Mr. Emmanuel Ansah, a 35-year-old fisherman from the Cape Coast neighborhood of Brofoyedur, is detrimental to the existence of the coastal population, which is primarily made up of fishermen.
According to him, the practice has also devastated the coastal reef and several fishing nets, but efforts to halt it have been unsuccessful.