Small-scale miners in the Eastern Region are calling on the government to support them with advanced technology to help curb pollution in river bodies caused by gold extraction.
The small-scale miners argue that the current trommel gold washing method widely used in the sector makes it nearly impossible to prevent river pollution, posing a major environmental challenge.
According to them, all other methods are expensive and requires the intervention of Government.
“Assuming everybody stops the mining water will settle down. The problem we have is the water pollution but the thing which is causing the water pollution is the trommel washing because now the quantity of water that we are using to wash we can’t control it, we can’t store it so if the government and the Environmental Protection Agency or the Minerals commission if they are anor to bring a different technology that we can use to do the alluvial I think that will be better either than that they should stop this task force this when they come they run away, return and still the water will be polluted”, said Emmanuel Agyarko, a member of the Association said.
Their appeal was made during a stakeholder engagement meeting with all small Scale miners in the region held with the Eastern Regional Minister, Rita Akosua Adjei Awatey, and mining regulatory bodies . Already large scale mining companies have also been engaged .
The meeting comes ahead of a planned major crackdown on illegal mining activities in the region by a recently formed Taskforce by the Regional Security Council.
Regardless the concerns raised,the Eastern Regional Minister Rita Akosua Adjei Awatey issued a stern warning to all mining companies, including those with licenses, cautioning that any company found polluting rivers or failing to reclaim mined lands will be classified as engaging in illegal mining. Such companies will face strict enforcement measures.
“We have formed a taskforce at the Region to undertake this exercise.Even those with concession and mining documents flout the mining regulations, pollute river and fail to reclaim the land will be considered as illegal mining”.
The Minister also emphasized that President John Mahama and the ruling NDC Party fully support efforts to combat river pollution and protect forest reserves, stressing that the government will go all out in this fight.
” President John Mahama has instructed that he is looking forward that within this month and next month at most by June all river bodies should be clean and excavators removed from the forest. All those without documents to get the appropriate mining documents”
Meanwhile, some miners are requesting that the Small-Scale Miners Taskforce be actively involved in the crackdown to ensure a collaborative and fair approach.
