Mr. Patrick Kwame Frimpong, Presiding Member of the Kumasi Metropolitan Assembly (KMA), has recommended the revocation of licences of small scale mining companies as the way forward to stop the galamsey (illegal mining) menace.
The Assembly Member for the Krofrom East Electoral Area has, as well, called for a halt to the implementation of the community mining concept. He further suggested that there should be a holistic approach, backed by law, in fighting the galamsey menace, instead of the piece-meal methods.
He said lack of regulation in this sector had contributed to the woes of stakeholders, hence, the government must ensure that the water bodies and environment are properly managed.
According to the Assembly Member, the three years ban on mining activities in the country, the formation of Operation Vanguard, Operation Halt, as well as other interventions, had not yielded the desired result, hence, the need for the government to restrategise and take the bull by the horns.
Mr. Frimpong indicated that it was incumbent upon the government to take the bold step to revoke these licences and halt operations, while it took pragmatic steps to address the problem, which is eating fast into the social fibre, once and for all.
The Krofrom East Assembly Member said the recommended collaboration of chiefs and Metropolitan, Municipal and District Assemblies (MMDAs) by the President could not stop the practice, unless the government brainstorms with all stakeholders and adopts a national effort at stopping the adverse effects of illegal mining.
He said the activities of illegal mining had resulted in the formation of sinkholes, contamination of soil, ground and surface water pollution, and loss of biodiversity, thus affected the environment and human life, and stressed that “Ghana cannot look on unconcerned while the water bodies are contaminated to risk the inherent health hazards.”
The Presiding Member said no matter how much revenue the country mobilised from mining, the people would endure health hazards from chemicals and must be stopped before it takes a toll on the human life and the economy.
Mr. Frimpong enumerated the negatives effect of small scale mining and community mining against the background of illegal mining, and said the way to go was to effectively regulate the mining industry along the operational lines of large scale mining.
He said while the large scale mining companies were adopting best practices by regulating their operations, small scale and community miners were degrading the environment without restraint.
According to him, besides the destruction to surface and underground water through toxic contamination and pollution caused by mud and sediments, air and noise pollution and destruction of biodiversity, food insecurity, deaths, injuries, respiratory and skin diseases,
noise-induced hearing loss, physical and psychological stress, malaria, and HIV stare people in mining communities and the populace in general as common legacies of illegal mining.
“Air, water bodies and the environment are being polluted. Schoolchildren are increasingly dropping out of school to engage in illegal mining while teenage pregnancy is on the ascendancy in these illegal mining areas,” he said, and called on the President to take the bold step of stopping both the small scale and community.
