Ghana will implement a nationwide lockdown starting Monday, September 30, as civil servants and labor unions intensify their campaign against illegal mining, known locally as Galamsey. The environmental destruction caused by these unregulated mining activities has led to increased demands for swift government intervention, including calls for a state of emergency in affected areas and the revocation of mining licenses.
Recent reports from the Ghana Water Company Limited (GWCL) underscore the seriousness of the crisis. Severe water shortages are occurring due to the contamination of key water sources, with 60% of the country’s major water bodies now polluted. The GWCL reports that water treatment plants are struggling, as turbidity levels have reached an average of 14,000 NTU, far exceeding the systems’ capacity of 2,000 NTU.
Calls for Urgent Action
A broad coalition of civil society groups, labor unions, media organizations, and religious leaders has stepped up pressure on the government for immediate action. The coalition is demanding the declaration of a state of emergency in all impacted areas, the deployment of security forces to remove illegal miners from water bodies, and the immediate cancellation of all mining licenses.
Dr. Kenneth Ashigbey, Convener of the Ghana Coalition Against Galamsey, emphasized the urgency of the situation, stating, “In war, poisoning the enemy’s water supply is a war crime. Here, people are poisoning their own water, and our leaders are failing to respond. This is a national emergency, and the president must act now.”
Albert Kwabena Dwumfour, President of the Ghana Journalists Association, echoed these concerns, urging the government to deploy the military to the affected areas and revoke mining permits in protected environmental zones.
Environmental Devastation
Illegal mining has wreaked havoc across Ghana, contaminating water bodies and destroying farmlands, particularly in cocoa-growing regions. At least 34 forest reserves have also been damaged by these activities.
As the country braces for the lockdown, all eyes are on the government to address the escalating environmental crisis and take decisive steps to protect the nation’s water resources and agricultural lands.