“FRIENDS FROM THE MEDIA”: How we are ‘doing ourselves’ with the ‘galamsey fight’

BY EDITORIAL TEAM

Never did well-meaning Ghanaians anticipate a time when the nation would deliberately ignore a menace that is causing such extensive damage. Yet here we are.

Small-scale mining is not unique to Ghana. In other countries, it is governed by strict rules that ensure value is derived without causing irreparable harm to the environment.

Sadly, the situation in Ghana has diverged from this standard.

This week, the Ghana Water Company Ltd. expressed their frustration over their inability to provide enough water for Cape Coast and surrounding areas due to high turbidity levels in their water sources, which are directly linked to mining activities in and along the region’s water bodies.

To clarify, turbidity measures the concentration of particles such as sediment, plankton, and organic by-products suspended in water. As turbidity increases, water becomes denser and less transparent due to the higher concentration of these light-blocking particles.

The World Health Organisation (WHO) recommends that the turbidity of drinking water should not exceed 5 NTU and ideally be below 1 NTU. Similarly, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has set the standard for turbidity in public water systems at 1 NTU.

However, in a press statement this week, the Ghana Water Company Ltd. revealed that they are recording an alarming average turbidity of 12,000 NTU in the Pra River, which serves Cape Coast and its surrounding areas. To begin treatment, they require turbidity levels around 2,000 NTU.

How tragic it is for a nation grappling with significant economic and social challenges to still be unable to decisively address illegal mining. We endlessly discuss the issue, launch “operations” supposedly aimed at “halting” it, yet the practice continues unabated. This is evidenced by the stagnant or, in some cases, worsening turbidity levels of our water bodies.

At the very least, there should be a strategic and deliberate plan to completely halt mining activities in and around water bodies to give these water sources a chance to recover.

Researchers suggest that such recovery could take several weeks to months. This would be the first step for the Ghana Water Company Ltd. in treating the water. Consider the possibility of having no potable water for months—it is a reality we may face.

At a recent event reported by The Sikaman Times, journalist and anti-galamsey crusader Erastus Asare Donkor attributed the country’s failed efforts to address the galamsey problem to a lack of political will. That is, the politicians and top policymakers themselves know the real causes and promoters of galamsey activities but are unwilling to let the numerous mining laws bite.

But who are we deceiving as a nation?

Water experts have warned that if the galamsey issue persists, Ghana may be forced to import water by 2030—just six years away! This is not the future a country already struggling with mounting debt and a weak currency wants to face.

Much like corruption, a small group of individuals—along with their families and allies—continue to enrich themselves through illegal mining, while the broader population suffers a reduced quality of life. Yet, in the long run, even their riches will disappear because the very factors they rely on—such as a sustainable environment and labour to preserve their wealth—will no longer exist.

The Sikaman Times calls for mass action from the Ghanaian public to demand accountability from political leaders regarding the galamsey fight. All and sundry must voice out our disapproval of how the State is handling galamsey. We believe that all other efforts are secondary to the commitment of the current President and his government to decisively and forcefully confront this decades-old crisis. There must be a clear timeline for measuring improvements—or lack thereof—in the turbidity of our water bodies and the reclamation of destroyed lands.

As we approach elections, the plans of the various candidates to deal with galamsey must be an important consideration in deciding who we elect as President and even members of parliament.

If we truly believe that water is life, then we must act now to safeguard it, not just for ourselves, but for the generations to come.

Action, not words!