By Francis Kobena Tandoh
Civil society group Democracy Hub took to the streets of the capital, Accra, on Monday to protest against illegal mining, popularly known as ‘galamsey,’ which has devastated the country’s arable land and water bodies.
The group, clad in red and black attire, carried placards, some of which read, “stop galamsey, save the children,” “no more galamsey,” and “mercury and cyanide are killing us,” “galamsey knows no NPP nor NDC,” among others, and urged the Ghanaian government to take decisive action to end the menace.
The protest march ended in front of the Jubilee House, the seat of government, where the protesters picketed.
According to Oliver Barker-Vormawor, convenor of the protest, the demonstration was intended to draw the attention of the Ghanaian authorities to the level of destruction that has been caused to the country’s land, forest, and water bodies by the activities of illegal miners.
A sixty-year-plus protester, Naa Dansua, told the media she decided to be part of the demonstration because of the future generation.
“I am here for the little children; they don’t have any future because they are drinking from polluted water sources. We cannot buy water from abroad; we are fighting against galamsey and fighting for the little one,” she said.
Illegal mining has become widespread in the West African country, with major rivers, including Ankobra, Ayensu, Birim, and Pra, which millions of Ghanaians depend on for drinking water and irrigation, heavily polluted with chemicals, including arsenic, cyanide, and mercury.
According to the country’s Water Resources Commission, approximately 60 percent of water bodies in Ghana are heavily contaminated.
The Ghana Water Company Limited has also indicated it spends unusually high volumes of chemicals in treating water for consumption, hence increasing operational costs. Enditem
Source: Ghana Eye Report
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