Illegal mining, otherwise known as galamsey, has been an age-old problem in many parts of the country for a fairly long time.
However, the recent uptick in the wanton and seemingly uncontrolled activities of these illegal miners, many of whom are believed to be foreigners including Chinese nationals as evidenced by past and recent arrests allegedly working hand in hand with local residents, chiefs, and in some cases people in high places of authority continue to create immediate and irrevocable havoc on our water bodies and the environment at large ought to be a matter of serious national concern for all and sundry.
River Pra
A lot has been written on the issue of galamsey, and we have shared a few heart wrenching articles pertaining to it in the past. For now, those in authority – government ministers and local law enforcement agencies - who should have some command over the issue do not seem to have the necessary wherewithal and authority to face the situation head on. Thus, local residents and citizens who do not wield much power nor control over the situation are forced to stand by and watch helplessly as these foreigners with their supposedly well-paid and well-armed henchmen consisting of local residents destroy precious resources in whatever part of the country they deem fit to do their business.
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Recent media posts on the damage being wrought on water bodies by the activities of these illegal miners that has caught the attention of many include the current state of the once pristine Pra River that rises in the Kwahu Plateau near Mpraeso in the Eastern Region and flows 150 miles (240 km) southward to enter the Gulf of Guinea (Atlantic Ocean) at Shama with the Ofin, Anum and Birim Rivers as its main tributaries. Illegal mining activities have contaminated the river which unbelievably still serves as a source of drinking water for some residents in the area as professed to by the interviewee in the video clip below.
Another is a shocking aerial video of the environmental damage done to parts of Amansie West, one of twenty-seven districts in the Ashanti Region.
Another shocking video clip is that of the residents of Morso, a small cocoa growing community in the Ashanti Region – who seem very aware but a bit surprised by the mushrooming galamsey encampment developing in their area. It is obvious from the clip they would like to do something about it but the big question is, who directed the galamsey operators and gave them permission to set up shop in that area?
Illegal miners set up shop at Morso
Illegal miners set up shop at morso with backhoe
A final stunner is the encroachment by these bold destroyers on the Oda Forest Reserve in the Eastern Region which sadly started a couple of years ago.
It is partly against the background of this environmental rape and destruction that President Akufo-Addo in his inaugural speech said;
“We should all recognize the danger we face by the alarming degradation of our environment and work to protect our water bodies, our forests, our lands and the ocean. We should learn and accept that we do not own the land but hold it in trust for the generations yet unborn and therefore have a responsibility to take care of it and all it contains.”
His words and characterization of the problem gave hope and faith to many that it would soon translate to rapid action against the perpetrators. Sadly, apart from a couple of recent arrests here and there, Ghanaians are yet to see a bold and decisive plan of any sort from the Nana Akufo-Addo’s administration towards the eradication of this menace. It is still early into his administration but many believe that given the urgent nature of the situation and the prioritization required some gains should already be in the books.
Ultimately, as some have pointed out elsewhere, Ghana’s economy and the health of her future children depends to a large extent on ending or curbing the activities of these illegal miners; our exports from our agricultural fields (river fish, fruits, vegetables, cocoa etc.) will eventually be banned due to possible contamination from lead, cyanide, mercury and other dangerous composites in the water that is currently giving them their nutrients and the possibility of birth defects arising from the contaminated water that the poor and those who have no alternative are being forced to drink cannot be overlooked. And with the world’s next wars expected to be perhaps fought over water and not petroleum it’s about time we sit up as a country and start taking appropriate action towards reversing the damage before it gets out of hand completely. The time to act is now!
N.B. While it may be true that the environmental destruction started a long time ago with the passage of PNDC Law 153 that allowed for surface mining, that some river bodies in mining communities such as Obuasi and Tarkwa to mention a few may have been destroyed earlier on, and that several of the early giant mining companies may have had a direct or indirect role in the present day rise of illegal mining, our main concern is with the aggressive and deliberate destruction with which some are laying permanent waste to the environment and the need to rein in their activities.
Some of the materials used in this write are courtesy of Kofi Amigosten Amoah, Kwame Asiedu Sarpong and Frank Mandela Bawumia.
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