The Paediatric Society of Ghana has warned that the country is on the brink of a water importation crisis if the illegal mining activities, known as galamsey, are not immediately halted.
In an interview on Channel One TV’s Point of View, the Society’s President, Dr. Hilda Manteebea Boye, highlighted the devastating impact of galamsey on Ghana’s health and water resources.
Dr. Boye expressed concerns about the consequences of inaction, citing the alarming rise in kidney diseases and failures among children due to pollution from galamsey activities.
She emphasised that the destruction of water bodies and food contamination pose a significant threat to the health and well-being of Ghana’s children and communities.
The Paediatric Society is calling on stakeholders, particularly politicians, to join forces and take immediate action to combat the galamsey menace.
Dr. Boye stressed that the country’s future depends on it, warning that Ghana may be forced to import water if the situation is not addressed promptly.
“We are seeing more new developmental problems that the children are having and indeed there are issues of kidney diseases, and kidney failures associated with the pollution. People are not getting safe food to eat, there’s destruction of the water bodies and children falling into pits.”
“We want the small-scale mining to be stopped. We want the political parties, all of them to commit to stopping this menace now because we are just afraid that in no time we may have to import water into the country.
“We are all sitting in Accra, and we are eating contaminated foods probably because food is coming all over the country and many of these areas are highly polluted.”
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