The Deputy Director of A Rocha Ghana, Daryl Bosu has raised deep concerns about the devastating impact of illegal mining (galamsey) on Ghana’s forest reserves and water bodies.
He noted that many of Ghana’s forest reserves are under siege, with inadequate efforts by leadership to address the issue.
In an interview with Selorm Adonoo on The Point of View on Channel One TV, Mr Bosu warned that the water crisis in the Central and Western regions could potentially spread to the Greater Accra region if efforts are not made to curtail the menace.
He criticized the government’s prioritisation of mineral resources, such as gold, over conserving water bodies and forest reserves.
He condemned the unchecked encroachment of forest reserves and the Minerals Commission’s issuance of mining concessions without considering the impact on forest reserves and water bodies.
“We have for a long time paid so much attention to our mineral resources and neglected the other benefits that the land gives us. And so if you go places, whenever the mineral commission is giving out concessions, they sometimes ignore that there’s a river here, there’s a forest here.
“And that tells you the level at which the government prioritises all the various assets that our environment provides us and the value it provides to citizens. So you go across the country and you see practically almost all the major basins being polluted.
“Over time, we have seen some level of illegal mining activity happening around the Densu basin… That is the case we are confronted with now, where you see a lot of our forest reserves practically under siege. If it’s not from a so-called legitimate mining concession, given by the government through the Minerals Commission, you see that the others are also suffering from some illegal level encroachment.”
He lamented the destruction of the water bodies, describing it as “very sad” and attributing it to the brunt of poor planning in the mining sector, which Ghana is now bearing.
“It’s not only our water bodies that are polluted, but we do not also prioritise the service of the lands for our food security. And that is how you go to a lot of the districts, farmers are now crying out because when the miners come, nobody pays heed to what the farmers say. You can go and sleep at night, by morning, your farm is gone.
“When it comes to gold and minerals, everything else can be set aside …we prioritise gold over everything. Right now, we’re all bearing the brunt of that particular poor planning that we have all been engaging in. It’s a very sad situation.”
He wondered why officers responsible for issuing mining leases in areas that overlap with rivers and forest reserves are not being held accountable.
“It’s just a matter of impunity, poor planning and some level of a big absence of compliance, nobody is holding the officers who are giving out these leases to account for giving out areas that overlap with rivers and forest reserves.”
Ghana Water Limited (GWL) last week announced that Cape Coast, Elmina, and surrounding communities in the Central Region would face water challenges due to galamsey.
GWL, in a statement, explained that the catchment area’s pollution has reduced water intake to a minimal level, with approximately 60% of the catchment capacity silted due to galamsey.
The Company explained that the Sekyere Hemang Water Treatment Plant (WTP) has experienced a significant demand-supply gap due to inadequate raw water intake, caused by pollution of the Pra River.
Citinewsroom
