Deputy national director of A Rocha Ghana, Daryl Bosu, has expressed concern about government’s lack of prioritization in dealing with issues of illegal mining (galamsey) in the country.

According to him, the growing health implications of polluted waterbodies in the country should be enough to motivate government to act swiftly in dealing with the crisis. However, he revealed that government is rather borrowing more money to fund its activities.

Additionally, Mr Bosu noted that the state instead of resolving the problem is consumed with “talking to the bank to help them with financing mining activities around rivers and streams, and now creating mining hub for people”.

“Areas with fresh waterbodies are all being targeted, so it looks like there’s more focus and attention on getting to the gold more and more… Unfortunately, I wish that we can start our action now, but I don’t see any commitment from government to that effect. They are rather spending more efforts and inviting more miners into this country. I will say I don’t have hope if we continue like this.”
Daryl Bosu

Mr Bosu stated that although there is enough evidence to show that the contaminated water source can be reversed, it’ll take a lot of time which must start now.

He explained that there is the need for government to actively work in dealing with the canker because Ghanaians are already exposed to the adverse effect of galamsey.

“We really need to start taking action right now. Already, we are exposed, but I think we really don’t see that commitment to start dealing with this issue. It could take some seven to ten years, but we have to start now, and I don’t see any signs on the wall now to see that we are really serious about dealing with this very canker that we are confronted with…”
Daryle Bosu

Health concerns heightens in face of galamsey

Highlighting on the health concerns recorded among residents in galamsey affected areas, Mr Bosu indicated that the signs have always been on the wall, especially with the pollution of rivers right from 2016.

He noted that despite actions promised by government to put in place measures to curb galamsey, the situation has instead worsened.

“I recall somewhere in 2016 serious water shortages hit the country, we were eventually able to trace it to a blockade of the Densu river and some activities of mining activities. This continued into 2017 and 2018 as more rivers were polluted and even to the extent that the Ghana Water Company Limited came to say that we needed to be very careful because they do not treat our rivers and water we drink of heavy metals…
“So, that means that it doesn’t matter that your water is coming out clear, it could likely be polluted with heavy metals. This is an issue we cannot gloss over because it’s really serious in terms of the health implications…”
Daryl Bosu

Furthermore, Mr Bosu emphasized that everyone is at risk, and the fact that the government continues to give out more concessions and allows some of these mining activities happen speaks to the fact that “government has not prioritized the health of Ghanaians”.

“… They are very much focused on mining and just taking what is in the land without taking due diligence to people’s health. So, it’s quite unfortunate and it’s just business as usual. We are just interested in getting the gold quick, we don’t care about anything else and that’s a very unfortunate situation we find ourselves as a country.”
Daryl Bosu

To permanently address the situation, the deputy national director of A Rocha Ghana expressed the need for government to institute laws to hold miners accountable and take a relook at the small-scale mining regime.

He revealed that as it stands now, the communities can’t hold these miners accountable and sometimes the Minerals Commission and Environmental Protection Agency equally feel powerless in such circumstances.

“One thing that is missing in this sector is the fact that whereas we are asking the large-scale mining companies because of the devastation they create to pay for the pollution they cause, the small-scale mining is not compelled by law to do that, and that needs to change… So, I think that we need to make it compulsory for every small-scale miner, if you’re no longer artisanal, and using excavators and heavy-duty equipment, you must equally also comply with paying for the pollution that you create.”
Daryl Bosu