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Dangers of using mercury in illegal mining
Illegal mining is detrimental to society
One major problem facing the country is the use of mercury in illegal mining, commonly known locally as “galamsey”, a practice that brings about disastrous threats to sectors such as agriculture, health and the environment.
Illegal mining and the use of mercury have not only destroyed the beautiful landscape of our forests and lands in various parts of the country, but also destroyed the waterbodies that we have in various communities.
For this reason, it is common knowledge that if nothing is done about the situation, our sources of drinking water would be destroyed, making that commodity very scarce and probably forcing us as a country to import water.
At a time when efforts are being made to reduce imports so as to reduce the demand for dollars, and help the local currency, the cedi, to appreciate against foreign currencies, the import of water as a result of the destruction of our rivers would make life unbearable in the country.
The use of mercury is very dangerous in several respects because mercury, when handled the way these miners use it, will cause chest pains and difficulty in breathing among people. It is also likely to cause coughing and insomnia, which is a state of sleeplessness among people.
The use of mercury in water bodies as a result of illegal mining can also cause headaches and general body weakness among the population. All these are likely to bring about weight loss, and as a result, the labour force in the country would be threatened and thereby rendered unproductive.
Moreover, the use of that chemical can cause irritation to the eyes, skin, and stomach. As if these were not enough, the chemical can also lead to frequent deaths including lifelong disabilities.
All these are likely to render the labour force unproductive.
This means that the budget for the health sector would have to be drastically increased if the country were to address all these challenges in the sector. If these avoidable diseases are brought under control, the nation would be able to save substantial sums of money for rapid socioeconomic development and thereby bring about massive improvements in the quality of life in the country.
In light of all this, there is a need to bring the situation under control. Bringing the situation under control to ensure a quality labour force is the responsibility of every individual and group in all parts of the country. Fortunately, the government, through the Ministry of Lands and Forestry, is working hard to address this menace.
Already, speedboats have been brought into the country to check the activities of illegal miners in various communities. The operations of the illegal miners can be brought to a stop, but this would require the cooperation of all groups in the country.
Some of the chiefs are very aware of the operations of the illegal miners but have turned a blind eye to these activities. The government alone cannot succeed unless all stakeholders contribute positively towards bringing the menace under control.
Without this, it would be difficult to bring this disaster under control. There is also the need for effective monitoring of these illegal operations, which explains why steps have also been taken by the central government to ensure aerial surveillance so that all those involved in the illegal activity can be identified and brought to book.
Education in this regard cannot be overlooked because the use of mercury in the waterbodies for purposes of illegal mining may bring in the needed gold deposits, but the miners may be ignorant of the dangers associated with the use of this chemical.
At this point, some people have suggested that all those involved in this disgraceful act, when found out, should be named and shamed in order to discourage the practice. While this is true, we must know that merely naming and shaming will not be enough to put a stop to the menace.
This is because those who make much money from the exercise of illegal mining should not only be named and shamed because they can hide their ill gotten wealth and enjoy life with their friends and families.
A more effective way of addressing this menace is by rigidly implementing the laws of the land regarding illegal small scale mining. Every culprit found out must be made to face the law no matter what, so that the highest punishment ever can be meted out to them and brought under total shame.
If this is carried out rigidly without any fear or favour, all forms of illegal mining, or “galamsey”, will be brought under total control or eliminated from the Ghanaian society.
It must be noted by all and sundry that wealth acquisition is good, but this must be done in a legal way. The time has come for galamsey operations to be made a thing of the past in order to save our rivers, forests, and general landscape from destruction.
This is possible and achievable with the collaboration of all stakeholders, both rich and poor, so let us work assiduously and honestly towards the achievement of this noble objective.
Email address/whatsApp number of author:
Pradmat201@gmail.com (0553318911)
By Dr. Kofi Amponsah-Bediako
One of the issues we have been grappling with as a nation is corruption, and it has had such a devastating effect on our national development. I have been convinced that until morality becomes the foundation upon which our governance system is built, we can never go forward as a nation.
Our traditional practices, which have shaped our cultural beliefs, have always espoused values that have kept us along the straight and the narrow and have preserved our societies since ancient times.
These are values that frown on negative habits like stealing, cheating, greediness, selfishness, etc. Our grandparents have told us stories of societies where stealing was regarded as so shameful that offenders, when caught, have on a number of instances committed suicide.
In fact, my mother told me of a story where a man who was living in the same village as her mother (my grandmother), after having been caught stealing a neighbour’s cockerel, out of shame committed suicide on a mango tree. Those were the days that shameful acts were an abomination.
Tegare worship, a traditional spiritual worship during which the spirit possesses the Tegare Priest and begins to reveal secrets, was one of the means by which the society upheld African values in the days of my grandmother and the early childhood days of my mother.
Those were the days when the fear of being killed by Tegare prevented people from engaging in anti-social vices. These days, people sleeping with other people’s wives are not uncommon.
These wrongful behaviour was not countenanced at all by Tegare. One was likely going to lose his life on days that Tegare operates, and so unhealthy habits like coveting your neighbour’s wife was a taboo.
Stealing of other people’s farm produce, for instance, could mean certain death or incapacitation of the whole or part of the body in the full glare of everybody. People realised that there were consequences for wrongdoing, and this went a long way to motivate the society to adhere to right values.
Imagine a President being sworn into office and whoever administers the oath says, “Please say this after me: I, Mr. …., do solemnly swear by God, the spirits of my ancestors and the spirits ruling in Ghana, that should I engage in corrupt acts, may I and my family become crippled, may madness become entrenched in my family, may incurable sicknesses and diseases be my portion and that of my family, both immediate and extended.”
Can you imagine a situation where a few weeks afterwards the President goes to engage in corrupt acts and we hear of his sudden demise or incapacitation and confessing that he engaged in corrupt acts before passing or before the incapacitation—and the effect it will have on his successor? I believe we have to critically examine this option to curb corruption.
My grandmother gave me an eyewitness account of one such encounter where a woman died instantly after the Tegare Priest had revealed a wrong attitude she had displayed during the performance on one of the days scheduled for Tegare spirit manifestation.
According to her story, the Priest, after he had been possessed by the spirit, declared that for what the woman had done, he would not forgive her and that he would kill. Instantly, according to my grandmother, the lady fell down suddenly and she died—just like what happened to Ananias and his wife Sapphira in Acts Chapter 5.
NB: ‘CHANGE KOTOKA INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT TO KOFI BAAKO
By Laud Kissi-Mensah
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