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The National Chairman of the Ghana Coalition of NGOs in Health (GCNH), Mr Bright Amissah-Nyarko, has appealed to President John Dramani Mahama to suspend all forms of small scale mining activities for the next six months in order to create a recovery period for all water bodies.
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“We also propose to the transitional team and the incoming government, to hold a high level political dialogue with small scale and illegal miners to propose solutions to these menace by themselves and also apply the mining rules and enforce the laws,” he stated.
He further advocated appropriate and sustainable mining practice, devoid of water pollution, free counseling and screening to children and women in galamsey in the regions, for early detection of mercury and lead for treatment.
Mr Amissah-Nyarko made these proposals yesterday at the opening of the 18th Annual General Meeting of (GCNH) on theme: ‘Reflecting on the impact of illegal mining (galamsey) in Ghana-Safeguarding One health, a call for a national action,’ in Takoradi, of the Western Region.
He also called for the engagement of local communities and traditional authority to recommend indigenous solutions the fight against galamsey to create alternative, attractive and sustainable livelihood and jobs for illegal miners.
Mr Amissah-Nyarko also indicated that, “Addressing illegal mining does not only require political commitment and good will
but also stakeholders, including the civil society, non -state actors, traditional authority, the media, development partners and financiers of illegal mining activities.”
He said the negative environmental impact of galamsey had become a significant threat to the nation’s ecosystem, causing a widespread destruction of natural resources, plant life, animal life, human life, and threatening the livelihood of countless communities.
The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) reports that, Mr Amissah- Nyarko had confirmed that illegal mining activities had contributed to the destruction of more than 60 per cent of the country’s forest.
“Water bodies in rural and urban communities were now contaminated with toxic chemicals like mercury and lead, which was contributing to the rising of non -communicable diseases in the country,” he explained.
Furthermore, he noted that a study conducted by the University of Ghana School Of Public Health has revealed that residents in galamsey prone areas had significantly higher levels of mercury in their blood streams.
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“This is no joke, because data from the Mineral Commission indicates that illegal mining is prevalent in 13 out of 16 regions in Ghana, and this is translating into risking the lives of over 75 per cent of the country’ s population,” Mr Amissah – Nyarko added.
He mention that, “Undoubtedly the impact of galamsey extends deeply into everyday life. Communities suffer elevated health risk from polluted water and air. Water sources are increasingly being contaminated, while scarcity lands of cocoa arable crops production, which are Ghana’s economic pillars are sadly declining.”
The Western Regional Director of Health Services, Dr Yaw Ofori Yeboah, also noted that, illegal mining had led to the destruction of the environment, with the discharge of dangerous chemicals like cyanide and mercury into water bodies, stressing “This is a real threat to the survival of many Ghanaians.”
Scientific accounts, Dr Yeboah, also demonstrated that, the exposure to heavy metals like mercury, lead, arsenic and cadmium could cause respiratory diseases, neurological and developmental disorders and cardiovascular problems.
A global health security expert, Dr Nii Nortey Hanson-Nortey, who chaired the forum, described galamsey as a real threat to the country and people.
