News
Don’t interfere with accidents at mining sites – expert
A Plant Metallurgist working at Aboso GoldFields Limited, Ing. Mrs Gladys O. Sarkpor, has warned host communities to desist from interfering with cyanide accident scenes at mining sites, especially when the chemical is being transported to the Damang Mine.
She explained that cyanide was a general term for a group of chemicals containing carbon and nitrogen, which was very dangerous and therefore, pleaded with the communities, especially children, not go near emergency sites.
Mrs Sarkpor gave the warning when she made presentation on the International Cyanide Management Code (ICMC) awareness and emergency response at an emergency meeting of the Damang Mine Community Consultative Committee (DMCCC) at Huni Valley, in the Western Region last Thursday.
She stressed: “In case of emergency response during cyanide transportation, do not interfere. We don’t want the community to be involved in the evacuation. Move away from the scene and allow the driver of the truck to notify the office and AGL Cyanide Emergency Response to handle it.
“Don’t allow children to go near the scene for curiosity sake; it looks like salt and they will be tempted to touch it. The site should be cordoned and everybody except the team should be about one kilometre away from the scene.”
Mrs Sarpoh said that sources of cyanide included sodium cyanide, hydrogen gas, potassium cyanide and sodium cyanide and it is generally used in the production of gold.
She mentioned that the chemical was highly poisonous when mixed with moisture in air, steam, acid or water, and was also dangerous when some lethal dose was taken orally or inhaled.
The plant metallurgist told the meeting that exposure routes of cyanide to the human body were inhalation, face splash and consumption.
She continued: “Cyanide looks like camphor and bigger than salt and transported by road only between sunrise and sunset, the truck which must be road worthy at all times is fitted with tracking systems.”
Mrs Sarkpor said, cyanide loads travel in convoy from Tema Port with escort emergency response and well secured away from the public.
“In case of cyanide accidents call AGL security control on 0277555311. Cyanide is poisonous and dangerous. We will evacuate everybody; as far as possible, everybody should go home because you can inhale it.
We will do our part to protect human life and the environment, but you also have a role to play so that together, we are all safe from cyanide accidents,” she said.
Mrs Sarkpor assured that AGL was committed to safeguarding the transportation of cyanide to the Mine site and would protect mine plants against any spillage into the communities, adding “our safety engineers are well-equipped with personal protective equipment to handle emergencies.”
The Municipal Chief Executive of Prestea-Huni Valley, Dr Isaac Dasmani, encouraged communities to take the lessons on cyanide serious so as to safeguard their safety and security of the environment.
From Clement Adzei Boye, Huni Valley
Troubled and anxious citizens in Damongo of the Savannah Region have expressed concerns about the number of young people, believed to be under the age of 18, involved in ‘shisha’ smoking in pubs and drinking spots within the township.
Eyewitnesses say the minors were seen patronising nightlife venues, where Shisha smoking happen in the open.
The situation has sparked renewed public concern over the enforcement of child protection laws and regulations governing the operations of entertainment centres in the municipality and country as a whole.
An eyewitness, who spoke to The Spectator on conditions of anonymity for security reasons, noted that the situation was becoming increasingly common.
“This is not a one-off incident. It is becoming very common, but residents like us cannot openly report or speak about it because our lives will be at risk,” he said.
Under Ghanaian law, minors were prohibited from patronising Shisha.
Public health experts have consistently warned that shisha use exposes users to harmful substances that can negatively affect brain development, respiratory health, and overall well-being, particularly among young people.
The residents believe the alleged incidents point to broader challenges relating to youth supervision, substance abuse, and weak enforcement of existing regulations and have called on municipal authorities, security agencies, and regulatory bodies to intensify monitoring of pubs and entertainment centres to ensure compliance with the law.
In an effort to address the menace, Mr Salisu Be-Awurbi, the Savannah Regional Minister, has led public education campaigns, engaged security agencies, and supported enforcement actions to address the rising use of illicit substances in the region.
Wura Kelly Seidu Boresah I, the Chief of Damongo, has also called on all stakeholders including parents, community leaders, institutions, and young people to actively support efforts to curb drug abuse, warning that the rising consumption of hard drugs poses a serious health threat to the future of the youth in the Savannah Region.
He also cautioned individuals involved in the sale and distribution of illicit drugs to immediately desist from the practice, stressing that offenders will face arrest and prosecution in accordance with the law.
From Geoffrey Buta, Damongo, Savannah Region
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Dr Theresa Baffour, an advocate for ending violence and Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of SAHM SAHW Foundation, has said that society plays a critical and pivotal role in breaking the cycle of domestic violence.
According to her, domestic violence is a major contributor of making women, who are mostly the victims, mentally derailed and unable to engage in economic activities.
She said this when the foundation called on the Ga Mantse, Nii Tackie Teiko Tsuru II, to solicit support for the initiative by the “Strong and Healthy Minds, Strong and Healthy Women” (SAHM SAHW) to combat domestic violence within the Ga State.
The visit was occasioned by the fact that domestic violence cases have become quite prevalent in the Ga communities and is retarding growth.
According to her, the canker was an impediment to national development because the victims were usually tortured and would have to go through series of therapies to return to the right state of mind.
Dr Baffour mentioned that Gender-Based Violence (GBV) places a mental toll on women, and was, therefore, important to break the cycle through comprehensive mental health support, crisis intervention and empowerment programmes in communities with high rates of GBV.
This intervention, she underscored, would help in empowering the denigrated victim of domestic violence to soundly heal, build and thrive.
Dr Baffour added that the initiative would provide holistic, trauma-informed mental health care and advocacy for young women affected by domestic violence.
According to her, the above statement would create safe spaces for healing and equipping them with entrepreneurial skills for renewed hope and empowered life.
The Ga Mantse pledged his support for the laudable initiative to combat domestic violence and also acknowledged the need to address it in the Ga State.
Further endorsement came from Justice Julia Naa-Yarley Adjei Amoah, Chief of Staff at the Office of the Ga Mantse, as she commended the team of SAHM SAHW Foundation for taking a bold step to end the canker in the Greater Accra.
She added that it was a step in the right direction to save vulnerable women from torture, stress and emotional abuse.
By Alfred Nii Arday Ankrah
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