Minister cautions mining companies
Mining companies which fail to comply with laws that seek to reduce their activities on the environment, particularly on water bodies, will be dealt with according to the law.
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The Minister of Environment, Science, Technology and Innovation, Mr Akwasi Opong-Fosu, said the ministry through the Environmental Protection Agency ( EPA), will apply appropriate sanctions to protect the interest of people whose livelihood hinged on the survival of such natural resources as water bodies .
Mr Opong-Fosu said it had come to the notice of the ministry that some mining companies were not complying with, for instance, the treatment of their effluent before discharging them into water bodies.
"We, have information that some of the companies are not complying but we don't want to jump the gun. We will investigate the allegations and act swiftly to avert any environmental problems for people living in such communities.” he stated.
He explained that by law, the mining companies were expected to treat their effluent, take out all chemicals and toxins before discharging it into water bodies.
“Regrettably, failure to comply leads to the pollution of such water bodies, which serve as the source of potable water for some communities”, the minister said.
"We are now gathering additional information regarding these breaches, and action would be taken once we establish the guilt or otherwise of these allegations, he stated.
The minister was speaking to the Daily Graphic in a telephone interview.
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Mr Opong-Fosu was responding to the two conflicting reports on the operations of the Ahafo Mine of the Newmont Ghana Gold Limited by a delegation of inter-faith based group made up of representatives of the Catholic Church and other denominations, and the coalition of NGOs.
Inter-faith based group
During discussions with officials of the Newmont Ahafo Mine and the inter- faith group recently, Reverend Dr Kwabena Opuni-Frimpong lauded their operations and described it as a responsible mining company in the country.
NGOs
The NGOs made up of Wacam, Centre for Public Interest Law, Youth for Action Ghana, Centre for Environmental Impact Assessment, and Centre for Social Impact Service in a statement to Mr Oppong-Fosu down played the praises showered on the mining company by the inter-faith based group.
"In our opinion, the statements by Reverend Opuni-Frimpong and some members of the faith-based group which glorifies the operations of the Newmont Ahafo Mine after a short guided tour of the mine does not reflect the reality the degree of environmental degradation, the economic and physical displacement of community people with its related poverty, the payment of paltry compensation to farmers, the pollution of rivers, the creation of rockwaste, human rights bases and disposal of faecal matter into the rivers of communities among others which have been associated with the company's operations", the statement alleged.
According to the statement, some communities in Kenyase had taken legal action against Newmont Ahafo Mine on allegations of diverting its sewage into rivers which serve as their source of drinking water.
Unannounced visits
One of the strategies by which the ministry hopes to gather adequate evidence to prosecute these companies is to pay unannounced visits to their sites, "an agenda I will be embarking on soon", he stated.