Goshen Global Vision Ghana (GGV), a non-government organisation (NGO), has organised a training workshop for stakeholders to discuss the negative effects and explore alternative gold extraction methods and strategies for mercury-free mining activities in the Tarkwa Nsuaem Municipality.
The day’s workshop held at the University of Mines and Technology (UMaT), Tarkwa brought together government officials, representatives from the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), Ghana Education Service (GES), and artisanal and small-scale miners among others.
The stakeholders also deliberated on the risk associated with mercury use and the benefits of adopting safer, and more sustainable practices as well as helping address the excessive use of mercury in Artisanal and Small-scale Mining (ASM) activities,
Addressing the participants, Dr Eric Gyimah, a lecturer and researcher at the UMaT, said though small-scale mining had created employment and provided infrastructure, and income among others, the use of mercury had s
everal negative outcomes on the miners and the environment they operated in.
He reiterated that mercury could cause birth defects in newborn babies, affect one’s liver, kidney and many more serious diseases, adding, ‘Mercury can easily evaporate into the atmosphere, it does not affect just the people mining, but those who stay within the environment where this chemical is being used’
According to Dr Gyimah, ‘One challenge about small-scale miners is attitude to change,’ adding that, Professor Richard Kwasi Amankwah, the Vice Chancellor of the UMaT through his initiative and research came up with Sika Bukyia, a technique that allowed for direct smelting of gold concentrate without the use of mercury.
Dr Gyimah said the miners, however, complained that the technique was time-consuming to recover their gold so they did not embrace it. ‘We have encouraged them that this is what you have chosen to do, and all that it takes you to do, and do it sustainably should be the most important not how fast you can do it.
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Madam Mary Perpetual Kwakuyi, GGV coordinator, emphasized that a lot of the small-scale miners smelt their gold concentrate right in the middle of Tarkwa township and it’s not the best for those living around.
She appealed to all stakeholders in the municipality to help relocate these miners to the outskirts of Tarkwa as soon as possible as their present location posed a serious threat to the residents.
‘If stakeholders fail to act, we are ready to lead a demonstration to ensure these miners who smelt gold concentrate are relocated. Innocent people who are not benefiting from this gold inhale mercury and end up having so many health challenges’ Madam Kwakuyi added.
Source: Ghana News Agency