According to the University of Mines and Technology (UMaT), one of the most reliable ways to undo the environmental harm caused by illicit mining is to deploy a ground-breaking technique that eliminates mercury from the soil.
The university's scientific method is a good development as Ghana fights to restore lands and water bodies that have been destroyed and contaminated by mercury from unlawful mining.
As part of its effort to remove mercury from the soil, the institution created the solution, according to UMaT Vice-Chancellor Prof. Richard K. Amankwah.
Medical professionals have observed odd diseases, including malformations, among babies in Galamsey endemic regions due to the substantial environmental harm, including the destruction of almost 4,000 hectares of forest reserves and the polluting of water sources.
According to Prof. Amankwah, the remedy, called phytoremediation technologies, entails planting particular tree species in a polluted region in order to purify the soil, air, and water contaminated with dangerous compounds.
"We'll plant trees all over the place.
When we harvest the plant after the tree has absorbed all the mercury, it will have completely disappeared, according to Prof. Amankwah, a mining engineer.
He said that the institution was also involved in the purification of bodies of water with high turbidity levels.
Solution
Last Friday, following the start of a two-day stakeholders dialogue held by the Graphic Communications Group Limited (GCGL) in cooperation with the Ministry of Lands and Natural Resources, Prof. Amankwah made the comment during a panel discussion on mining.
The event, with the topic "Harnessing our Natural Resources for Our Sustainable Collective Good," sought to give attendees a forum to discuss and exchange useful viewpoints to aid Ghana's development in harnessing its natural resources for the long-term welfare of the general population.
concessions at UM
According to Prof. Amankwah, the university and the Minerals Commission, which had provided UMaT with two concessions, were working together to construct a small-scale mine.
"The exploration process has begun.
We aim to establish a small-scale mining school where we instruct graduates in small-scale mining so that they may have practical mining experience in addition to theory, he added.
He clarified that the goal of small-scale mining training was to make sure that pupils were ready to launch their own companies.
"They will not wait for the large-scale miners to offer them employment when they complete their education, but they can take advantage and start their own small-scale mining," he stated.
According to Prof. Amankwah, the university's two concessions are also utilized to educate small-scale miners on the best environmental practices for the business in order to bring order to it.
He stated that UMaT was collaborating with Atlantic Lithium in Awoyaa, close to Saltpond, to localize the value chain in the lithium industry, which is a large-scale mining sector.
He said that the action was taken to allow Ghanaians to directly engage in the industry and increase the value of lithium.
He said that the university has started a weekly teaching program called the Radio Small-Scale Mining School, where community members, regulatory agencies, and mining industry stakeholders debate sustainable mining and other topics of importance to the sector.
The Small Scale Miners Association, the Ministry of Lands and Natural Resources, and UMaT collaborated to establish June 2 as Sustainable Mining Awareness Day, according to Prof. Amankwah.
He declared, "We have established a joint venture with another organization to begin the manufacture of activated carbon.
He said that Ghana's activated carbon sector was worth around $2 billion and that when the agreement between the university and the business was finally fully implemented, Ghana would be able to keep nearly half of that revenue.
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