Atiwa forest under threat of illegal mining
ROCHA Ghana, a non-governmental organisation concerned with the management of natural resources through sustainable means, has held a workshop that focused on the significance of the Atiwa Forest Reserve in the Eastern Region and water bodies within it.
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The workshop considered ways of preserving the forest and preventing it from degradation through illegal mining.
The Board Chairman of ROCHA Ghana, Professor Alfred Oteng Yeboah, called for a legislation that would prevent people from mining in the forest and the areas surrounding it.
He said the Atiwa forest was one of the few remaining tropical forests in West Africa and it was unfortunate that it had been invaded by illegal miners looking for gold and bauxite.
He said district assemblies in the vicinity of the forest must protect it and other natural resources in communities within their jurisdiction. According to him, illegal mining activities had a negative impact on the environment and posed a threat to forests and local communities.
According to him, besides pollution of water bodies, dust generated from mining activities cause respiratory and skin diseases and eye, nose and ear infections.
"Even small traces of metal in the dust can be injurious to humans and wildlife that live in the forest," he said.
Minerals Commission speaks
The acting Manager of the Department of Monitoring and Evaluation at the Minerals Commission, Mr Emmanuel Afreh, expressed dissatisfaction with illegal mining activities in the Atiwa forest. He said there were laws that regulated the mining industry in the country and protected forests and other resources. One of the laws, he said, directs that no one should mine about 500 metres to any forest reserve.
"As far as I am concerned, the Minerals Commission has not issued a licence to anyone to mine in the Atiwa forest," he said.
FC’s response
The Chief Executive Officer of the Forestry Commission (FC), Mr Samuel Afari Dartey, said despite efforts by the commission to prevent people from mining in the forest, some people in the communities around it always found a way into the reserve.