Illegal Mining Is Now A Histroy
One phenomenon that has received a lot of attention and discussion on media and other platforms in Ghana is illegal mining which is popularly known as ?galamsey?. This phenomenon has been discussed at any angle such as its long term effects and short term effects on the environment, agriculture, habitat and livelihood as a whole.
Galamsey has caused a lot of problems in our livelihood, areas which have suffered a lot is our river or water bodies and our land. It has leave death traps for Miners themselves and other individuals. Illegal miners have no legal permit to their work, they lacked qualified personnel to guide them when working, they do what they want, they most at times leave the pits uncovered which makes going such areas dangerous. Several reports where made in 2015, dead bodies in mined pits. People who live in mining communities having no alternative source of water have to do all their activities such as cooking, bathing, washing with polluted water in spite of the risk of contracting disease such as dysentery, fever and others.
There have been a lot of statement concerning this issue by NGOs, representative of government, chiefs and the menace of galamsey in the community. In 2015, the New patriotic Party (NPP) added it in their campaign promises to end illegal mining which was a sector all most 80% of the electorate are interesting. People voted NPP into power in December 7 th, 2015.
His Excellency Nana Akuffo Addo,who led NPP in the election gave 3 weeks ultimatum to illegal miners in April 2016, which led the removal of 500 excavators and 100 dredging machines from illegal mining sites. This policy successful was by an intense advocacy and engagement programmed aimed at educating miners about the harmful effects of galamsey.
After the 3 weeks ultimatum, the government form task force consisting of military forces, police, community volunteer groups having solid support from the government, this task force were warn not to corrupt, one military man who was found taking monies from illegal miners and giving room to continue this illegal act is now in jail. This task force is always patrolling in galamsey sites arresting obstinate illegal miners. It was reported in the ?Daily Guide? newspaper last year that more than 200 illegal miners were arrested and 50 excavators seized. People arrested were not only the citizens of this noble country, some were aliens yet taken to the law court to face the wonderful music of the country.
Some mining communities believe that their chiefs support illegal hence giving them land to perform their duties, so the president pledge the leaders of communities, group leaders like Pastor Imams, to help end this issue. Paramount Chiefs have accepted what the president is doing and have warn their sub chief never to support illegal mining.
The president has also set up 14 mining court all over the country to deal very hard with this illegal miners, citizen are also given opportunity to report illegal miners who are working on their galamsey sites to the nearest police stations or leaders for legal actions to be taken against them. This is now shying illegal miners away from our communities, districts, regions, and the whole country.
All the people in the country are very happy for what the president did including the opposition parties who were criticizing the president at the beginning. Sister country are also very glad for the president has done to end galamsey in the country. We are appreciate what the president has done using less than 6 months to fulfil this campaign promise, this has made galamsey or illegal mining a history in the Ghanaian history.