Study of effects of mining activities on Obuasi launched

Study conducted on the effects of mining activities on Obuasi and its surrounding areas has found high level of heavy metals such as iron, arsenic and manganese in most streams in the area.

Also, waters in the area are acidic, falling outside Ghana's Environmental Protection Agency and World Health Organisation range of standards for potable water.

Arsenic values are between 10 to 38 times higher that levels permitted by EPA general guidelines and over 1,800 times higher than the WHO maximum allowable values.

The findings were contained in a book: “The Glittering Façade,” which dealt with the effects of mining activities on Obuasi and its surrounding communities.

The study also found that the concentration of metals in fruit (oranges) was higher than in the corresponding concentration of metals in water.

Mercury values were up to five times more than EPA limits and 26 times more than WHO limits while arsenic values were 24 and 1,226 times more than the EPA and WHO limits respectively.

Analysis of disease prevalence patterns showed that malaria, acute respiratory infections, diarrhoea, skin diseases, acute eye infections, among others, constituted the top six causes of OPD attendance.

Launching the book, Professor Kwame Ninsin, a lecturer at the University of Ghana, said regulators must be firm in applying the laws relating to mining in order to minimize the environmental damage and negative health impact on the communities.

He said the contribution of mining to the country's socio-economic development was insignificant compared to the damage that it caused to the environment and livelihood of people living in the communities.

Prof. Ninsin said most of the communities in which mining was being carried out had become death traps instead of an environment that will free people from poverty and hunger.

“The people in these communities suffer from water pollution, air pollution and have many diseases to contain with,” he said.

Mr. Abdulai Daramani, Coordinator of the Environment Unit of Third World Network, said mining had failed to contribute to development because the approaches that the mining companies adopted did not go deep enough to improve the livelihood of the people.

He said the Third World Network, an advocacy organization, was prepared to lead the debate on the kind of mining that would enhance development and livelihood.

“Mining that displaced people and destroyed livelihood is not the kind of thing we advocate,” he said.

Mr Kwadwo Afriyie, a member of the team of researchers, said over 200 people within 16 communities were involved in the study. Also a survey of disease prevalence within the communities from 1989 to 2003 was conducted and integrated with communities' perceptions of possible causes of such diseases.