Stop boiling polluted galamsey water for drinking, it's not safe – EPA cautions communities

The Environmental Protection Authority (EPA) has cautioned residents of communities affected by illegal mining popularly known as galamsey against drinking or using water from polluted rivers and streams, warning that boiling such water does not make it safe for consumption.

The Authority says water contaminated by illegal mining activities may contain hazardous substances, including mercury, cyanide and arsenic, which cannot be eliminated through boiling.

“The notion that boiled galamsey-contaminated water is safe for drinking and other domestic activities is false. While boiling kills bacteria, it does not remove harmful chemicals such as mercury and cyanide,” the EPA said.

An official of the EPA’s Twifo Praso office, David Agyekum Baidoo, said residents of several villages and hamlets in illegal mining communities continued to depend on polluted water bodies because they lacked access to pipe-borne water.

Speaking to the Ghana News Agency, he warned that such reliance exposed residents to serious health risks, particularly those who drink, bathe in or use contaminated water for farming and livestock.

He explained that prolonged exposure to chemicals associated with illegal mining could result in kidney damage, neurological disorders and birth defects.

Baidoo urged residents in affected communities to rely on treated water and other safe alternative sources rather than assume that boiling polluted river water would make it suitable for domestic use.

He further called on residents to support efforts to combat illegal mining by reporting offenders to the security agencies, stressing that timely information would help prevent further pollution and protect water bodies used for drinking, farming and fishing.

Source: GNA