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