Arocha Ghana heading to court to stop gov’t from ‘destroying Atewa forest for bauxite money’

Months of advocacy against the government plan to mine Atewa forest has not paid off.

And now the coalition of environmental groups and individuals wants to take the fight to court to scuttle a bauxite-mining plan that has been labelled an environmental disaster.

In the 30-day notice served the Attorney General and Minister of Justice on January 13, 2019, the non-governmental organisations say they intend to seek among other reliefs a restraining order to prevent the government’s plan to mine the Atewa Range Forest Reserve as part of a national infrastructure development programme.

The government is counting on the more than 150 million tonnes of bauxite deposit as a mortgage to the Chinese to fund the country’s development drive.

But Arocha says there is more to lose than gain from mowing down a forest that provides water for more than five million Ghanaians.

In the notice filed by respected public interest lawyer, Mr Martin Kpebu, on behalf of Arocha and three others, they said they will seek an order to compel the government and its agents to take the necessary steps to protect Atewa Range Forest per constitutional obligations as contained under article 36(9) of the constitution.

The prospective plaintiffs say should the government fail to heed to their notice, they will also ask the court to declare that the right to life and dignity as enshrined in the 1992 Constitution which includes the right to a clean and healthy environment and the right to have the environment protected for the benefit of present and future generations, were under threat.

“The action intends to protect and safeguard the environment pursuant to the constitutional duty imposed on us under article 41(k) of the Constitution of Ghana, 1992. EcoCare Ghana, Ghana Youth Environment Movement, Save the Frogs Ghana, and several other institutions have affirmed their support to ensure that governments both now and in the future respect the right of Ghanaians to a safe and healthy environment.

“We being good citizens, support government’s quest to develop Ghana and, as part of such efforts, to raise funds through various endeavours including exploiting the country’s resources,” a statement issued by the coalition said.

The statement, however, insists that the country does not need to exploit the Atewa Forest bauxite reserves since there are far richer bauxite reserves according to information available to the government and the entire Ghanaian populace.

“Also, considering the critical importance of the Atewa Forest Range to Ghana’s water supply system, biodiversity, and natural climate change adaptation, it would be best not to exploit the Atewa Range Forest.

“The notice has been served bearing in mind several constitutional actions to draw government’s attention to the fact that mining in the Atewa Forest would be very detrimental,” it said.

Arocha and its allies of 20 Civil Society Organisation (CSOs) both local and international, have embarked on a series of campaigns to steer government away from its decision.

The coalition has in the past petitioned both the Presidency and Parliament but the government insists that mining in Atewa would be done in an environmentally sustainable manner.

The government expects to reap $2 billion from the Chinse government to embark on infrastructure projects.

Below is the notice

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