Himan (W/R), Feb. 8, GNA - HANSOL Limited, a small-scale mining company, is working on Golden Star Bogoso/Prestea Limited (GSBPL) concession and its operation is causing the pollution of River Ankobra at Himan in the Wassa West District of the Western Region. The River Ankobra serves as a source of water supply to communities downstream.

At a point, part of the River is blocked and serious mining is going on in the riverbed. The Company, which has about 20 Chinese living on the mine site and some Ghanaians, who live at Himan and Prestea, has no place of convenience and as such most of the workers ease themselves into River Ankobra.

The land degradation going on is disheartening and calls for a probe into the Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) the Mine submitted to the Environmental Protection Agency. When Ghana News Agency (GNA) visited the Mine site, the Chinese could not speak because, they claimed they did not understand English language and the few that could understand the language refused to comment because one Mr Ben Antwi Boasiako, Chief Executive Officer of the Company, was absent. It was very difficult to enter the HANSOL mine site because its private security did not allow anybody to enter making a clash between GSBPL security and that of the Mine imminent.