Newmont Ghana Gold Limited (NGGL) on Friday
expressed regret over the Saturday 10th October 2009 cyanide spillage at its Ahafo Mine and said it would review its operating procedures to prevent a recurrence.
Speaking to a team of Journalists, who the Company flew from Accra and others from the Brong Ahafo Region, to visit the Ahafo Mine, Mr Daniel
Michaelsen, General Manager, Environment and Social Responsibility of NGGL, said the Company has now heeded the advice of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and has placed a staff at the processing pond and event pond,
where the overflow occurred to check the water levels in case the computerised level indicator failed again.
He said Newmont has submitted a report of its findings after investigations into the incident to the leadership of the affected community and the regulatory bodies.
"We will continue to cooperate with regulatory authorities and will inform communities on our doorstep of the findings," Mr Michaelsen said, adding that Newmont would continue to supply residents of the affected area
with an alternative source of drinking water until the people were fully satisfied.
Mr Paul Sowley, Newmont's Regional Manager, Environmental Affairs, said NGGL was weighing a number of options, which included re-channelling
water from the event pond through another path to a different environmental control dam (ECD) instead of through the Subri tributary to ECD 4.
"The other option is to create another ECD along the stream in which the dead fishes were found but closer to the Processing Plant and further away from where the hamlets are," he said.
Meanwhile, WACAM, a human rights and mining advocacy nongovernmental organisation, has issued a statement accusing Newmont of downplaying the extent of the cyanide spillage and has called on the Government to investigate the incident.
A statement Mr Daniel Owusu-Koranteng, Executive Director of WACAM,
signed on Saturday said the cyanide was spilled into River Asunua, which
flowed into River Subri and affected residents of Kantinka; Afua Serwakrom; Norbertkrom; Kyeikrom; Bronikrom; Lawyerkrom; Kwamebourkrom and a host of other hamlets but Newmont had sought to create the impression that the spillage was contained and neutralised within its mine site.
WACAM said: "The spillage was identified on the dawn of Saturday 10th October 2009 by community people when they found many dead fishes floating on their river. They then reported the incident to officials of the Company
immediately.