According to the revered traditional ruler the modes of operation of small scale miners and the effect on the natural environment cast a slur on Ghana’s credentials and must be addressed.

“It is an embarrassment to see images from communities that have been victims of galamseyers. How can we as a nation sit down and watch people dig under people’s homes looking for gold? It looks very primitive. Just go dig dig, take pickaxe, shovels and go find gold and go and sell without any regulation and that is very bad.

“it is also strange that what is happening in Ghana with galamsey cannot happen in other countries. no! Not even in Ivory coast next door. But in Ghana we can tolerate all of these things; destroy all of our water bodies. And you know what worries me? The damage will be with us for decades. Its not only the water bodies that have been contaminated. Even the lands. How to get the chemicals out of those lands in future will be a problem,” Togbe Afede said at a youth empowerment and entrepreneurship forum which is part of Asogli Yam Festival celebrations.

The outspoken traditional ruler spoke of the looming water crisis, and lamented how the country overlooked the essentiality of its water resources.

He thereby encouraged the youth to take up active roles in ending the canker.

“Water is very very important so much that Yale University has a course on drinking water. Can you imagine, its a whole course on drinking water because they see waster as a very important universal resource. They see water as vital to life. Without water the crops will not grow. Without water the animals will not survive. Without water, settlements will not survive. But we are toying with all of these things.

“Studies that I’ve read suggest that small scale mining does more damage to the environment than benefits the people. Because the land is destroyed. How can we restore all these degraded lands? We will need billions of dollars to rehabilitate these degraded lands”.

Source: Gh Tribune

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