Galamsey's impact: Atiwa farmers now buy pure water to spray their crops - UG researcher.
The Co-Principal Investigator of a joint Galamsey Research Team of the University of York (Canada) and the University of Ghana has urged the state and stakeholders to demonstrate genuine commitment to combating the threat of illegal mining.
Professor Gladys Nyarko Ansah revealed some startling findings of the team's research on the Saturday, September 10, 2022, edition of Joynewsfile monitored by GhanaWeb.
According to her, the impact of galamsey on some communities has become so severe that, in addition to using bagged water for domestic purposes, they must also use it for farming purposes.
"Let us mean what we say we want to do. People in the galamsey areas are dissatisfied with the situation. I've been to a few places where galamsey occurs. Farmers have to buy pure water to mix chemicals, weedicides, and other things to spray their farms," she said.
Prof. Nyarko revealed that such a situation is unique to the Atiwa West area, where farmers purchase bagged water for farming purposes. She also stated that the devastating effects of galamsey have made farming unappealing to the area's youth.
"We were working in Atiwa West. They must purchase pure water not only to drink but also to mix agro chemicals to spray on their farms, such as pesticides and so on. So farming becomes unappealing, and in a country with a large number of unemployed young people who don't even see farming as an option, they just jump on the galamsey bandwagon, making it difficult to control anyone or anything," she explained.
As a result, she has called for a concerted effort to combat illegal mining that goes beyond rhetoric.
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So let us say what we mean. If we don't intend to do them, let's keep quiet about it and stop wasting money. But if we really mean it, let us do it the way we know we should," the researcher said.
The discussion on the impact of illegal mining comes in the wake of the arrest of a notorious galamsey kingpin who was deported from Ghana in 2018.
The arrest of Aisha Huang has sparked debate about illegal mining and its negative impact on the country's natural resources, such as forests and water reserves.
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