The government of Ghana’s fight against illegal small-scale mining, popularly called galamsey, seems to have been a complete failure.

The Ghana Forestry Commission has reportedly indicated that Ghana has lost 38 forest reserves due to galamsey activities.

After years of anti-illegal mining operations including Operation Vanguard and Galamstop, the state of water bodies in galamsey areas in the country is getting worse by the minute. Most rivers in these areas have become muddy and full of pollutants.

The Ghana Water Company recently issued a statement, indicating that the water supply challenges in some parts of the country are due to galamsey activities, which have drastically reduced the raw water it needs for processing.

One of the rivers that have become polluted beyond measure is the famous Pra River, the easternmost and the largest of the three principal rivers that drain the area south of the Volta divide.

A video captured and shared by broadcaster Berla Mundi on August 31, 2024, showed a completely polluted Pra River. The colour of the water of the river was deep brown, suggesting that it was full of mercury, arsenic, and lead used to process minerals, which are toxic to aquatic life and humans.

The video also showed a number of chamfan machines, which are used to process the ore of minerals, lined up on the river.

The residents confirmed to Berla Mundi that the chamfan machines belong to illegal miners.

Watch the video below:



BAI/OGB

Hassan Ayariga is our guest on the latest edition of Election Desk on GhanaWeb TV with host, Etsey Atisu. Catch the full interview below:





Ghana’s leading digital news platform, GhanaWeb, in conjunction with the Korle-Bu Teaching Hospital, is embarking on an aggressive campaign which is geared towards ensuring that parliament passes comprehensive legislation to guide organ harvesting, organ donation, and organ transplantation in the country.