Galamsey contributes to cancer deaths

Ghana is all we have and we can't possibly afford to lose our human resource to Galamsey. It is worthy of note that, the Offin, Ankobra, Birim, Pra, Densu, Ayensu Rivers have been destroyed. We live in a society where people's peculiar interests in amassing wealth for themselves continue to wreak havoc. The sad part of it is the aspect of using Mercury and Cyanide in this awful activity.

At the end of the day, indigenes within areas where these nation-wreckers operate end up experiencing deterioration in the nervous system. The Mercury impairs hearing, speech, vision, gait and causes involuntary muscle movements. Again, it corrodes skin, mucous membranes and causes chewing difficulty. What am I saying? If your gold-digging expedition causes cancer to someone's parent, friend, relative or acquaintance and they eventually die. What kind of money are you enjoying? Maybe, it's that of blood money.

To a large extent, I think the Minerals Commission has done this nation a disservice. Ghana can't continue this way. When a body mandated by law to ensure sanity in the mining sector can’t possibly flush out all perpetrators behind this heinous crime then they should bow in shame.

In fact, every Politician or King who is behind this should be ashamed. Galamsey destroys for crying out loud. The Ghana Water Company continues to struggle in efforts to supply portable drinking water to the citizenry and we sit unconcerned? We are all at risk of contracting cancer. The fight of Galamsey must be a collective one. Everyone must assist in this fight. If a pragmatic approach isn’t taken within the shortest possible time, Ghana could be importing water in the coming days.

Let’s put politics aside and tackle this issue head-on. Enough of the NPP and NDC brouhaha on who started Galamsey. It doesn’t solve the issue. My candid advice is this; if perpetrators are made to bring our water bodies to their original state when found culpable, it will serve as a deterrent to others.

Writer: Stephen Bernard Donkor, student of the Ghana Institute of Journalism (GIJ)

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