The Akuffo Addo administration in Ghana
is waging a crusade to put paid to galamsey in Ghana. The intensity of the
crusade is such that the galamseyers are threatening that they are not going to
vote for him in the next elections. President Akuffo Addo’s answer to the threat
was that he was going to go ahead and do what God has him to do for the good
of the country.
The word galamsey is corruption of the
phrase “gather and sell”; gather and sell gold. Galamsey is illegal artisanal
mining. It is also known as small-scale mining. There are two types of
small-scale mining. One is legal the other is not. The one that is illegal is
what is known as galamsey. The legal small-scale miners have license to enter
and mine mining blocks, and therefore do things in keeping with laws and
regulations. Those doing galamsey slip into mining blocks on the blind side of
the law to do mining. The infrastructural investment that goes into galamsey
should tell you that there are bigger people behind those who do the actual
mining- chiefs, politicians etc.
Why such a scale of crusade against
the galamseyers in Ghana? The activities of the galamseyers have left in its
trail reckless destruction of the natural environment- water and land. The
following is an illustration:
- The Kyebi water treatment plant was shut down in August, 2016 because the water (river) treated for potable water has become untreatable as a result of galamsey. The people in that area are therefore not getting potable water.
- The Ghana Water Company had to shut down the Abesim water treatment plant in the Brong Ahafo region of Ghana because of the reduction in the water level of the Tano River due to galamsey.
The galamseyers are gathering gold to sell, but at what cost? To my mind they are depriving posterity of
their heritage. I have just cited the low water level of the Tano River; it may
dry up. The chemicals (e.g. mercury) they use are destroying land and water,
and life forms thereof.
What the galamseyers are doing certainly do not ensure a clean and
sustainable natural environment. What they really gather to sell, in the long
term, is the heritage of posterity.
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