Kenyasi (B/A), Oct. 13, GNA - The traditional heads of three communities in Asutifi District have directed the district assembly and management of the Ahafo Project of Newmont Ghana Gold Limited (NGGL) to take samples and conduct test on a man-made pond allegedly polluted to ascertain the extent of damage caused.

The decision by the paramount chiefs of Kenyasi Number One, Kenyasi Number Two and the chief of Ntotoroso followed the alleged spillage of active processing solution including sodium cyanide into the pond. The Ghana News Agency gathered that a number of fishes had died as a result of the alleged spillage of the solution on October 10. When GNA visited the area on Monday, the District Security Council was holding an emergency meeting on the issue.

Odeneho Dadeako Nsiah, Omanhene of Kenyasi Number Two told the GNA that the traditional councils of the three communities would also delegate some elders to accompany the district assembly delegation and also take samples of the dead fishes and water for test to ensure transparency in the exercise.

He said immediately after the test the chiefs would make available the results to the communities and appealed to the people to exercise patience. Throwing more light on the incident, Nana Osei Kofi Abiri II, Omanhene of Kenyasi Number One, said some citizens of the area discovered that a number of fishes were dead in the pond.

"The people who reported the incident saw a gallon along side the pond and this raised their suspicion of foul play", he said. The chief said some officials of NGGL came to his palace and informed him about the incident but added management of NGGL had already taken samples of the water and the dead fishes to Denver in the United States to ascertain the content of the pond. He appealed to Newmont not to shelve any information about the incident so that steps would be taken to bring the situation under control and to offset future mishaps.

Mr. Eric Addae, District Chief Executive, said NGGL had supplied communities along the pond with alternative fresh water to be used whilst investigations were carried on. He appealed to the inhabitants of the area to stay away from the pond in order not to put their lives in danger. Meanwhile, a press statement from the Accra office of Newmont Ghana Gold Limited has stated that the Ghana Environmental Protection Agency and the Minerals Commission's chief inspector of mine were at site conducting investigations.

"The mining company is undertaking its own investigations to fully establish the cause of the incident and help prevent future recurrence", it said. The statement said "no pollution of water sources downstream from the plant site has been found" adding that "live fish have been found swimming both below and above the point at which the dead fishes were found".