More action needed in fight against galamsey

For the umpteenth time, we have had to touch on illegal mining and the associated dangers. It is a legitimate fight which we have sworn to pursue until the battle is finally won.

One of the dangers of galamsey is that those in search of minerals undertake their illegal activities on or close to water bodies, a development that has led to the pollution of a number of rivers in the country.

So not only our lands have been degraded by galamsey; our rivers have equally been polluted, the notable ones being the Pra, Tano, Ankobra and Birim. Many smaller rivers have also been polluted.

Communities that drink water directly from the rivers are no longer able to do so because the water is not safe for drinking.

Recently, the Nuclear Chemistry and Environmental Research Centre (NCERC) of the Ghana Atomic Energy Commission (GAEC) warned that the country’s groundwater reserves risked being contaminated if pragmatic steps were not taken to regulate galamsey in the country.

This means that we are not losing only food crops but also fish, just because some people want to live well, no matter the consequences on the public.

Yesterday the Daily Graphic reported on how fishing activities in the coastal town of Shama in the Western Region had slowed down because illegal mining on the Pra River had polluted the sea.

The despicable spectacle of the muddy water of the Pra River entering the sea clearly paints a picture of a country that has gone to sleep for a long time. We can no longer allow this to fester.

Recently, the authorities in Cote d’Ivoire had cause to complain about how the pollution of the Bia and the Tano rivers by illegal miners had affected the quality of water in that country.

Both rivers flow into lagoons in Cote d’Ivoire and the Ivorian authorities said the situation was making it difficult to treat  water for drinking.

Indeed, Cote d’Ivoire’s water distribution company, SODECI, recently closed down one of its water treatment plants as a result of the unbearable pollution of the Bia River.

Back home, the pollution of rivers has had telling effects on the operations of the Ghana Water Company Limited (GWCL), which was forced to shut down its water treatment plant at Kyebi as a result of the pollution of the Birim River.

Already, Ghana has a deficit in fish production.  While fish consumption hovers around one million tonnes annually, only 400,000 tonnes is produced locally. This means that about 600,000 metric tonnes of fish is imported annually to fill the gap.

 Official figures indicate that Ghana spends between $300,000 and $400,000 on fish imports annually. This adds to our import bill and negatively affects economic development.

For some time now, the country has been investing in the fisheries sector in order to increase local production. But we are afraid that all this will achieve few results if we allow galamsey to gain roots.

So far the campaign against galamsey has brought some measure of hope, but the nation cannot afford to relax.

The Daily Graphic believes that nothing but sustained pressure to get the authorities to act to save the situation is the only option available to the people.