Curse of the yellow metal

Reading the Daily Graphic of Saturday, September 7, 2024, l was horrified by the banner headline story of twins drowning in an abandoned galamsey pit in the Central Region. 

I was beside myself with grief and anger over the avoidable circumstances under which the twins died.

The curse of the gift of the yellow metal on mankind has been with us for a long time. Indeed, Ghana has been no exception to this menace since the discovery of gold in our country pre-colonial times.

The danger posed by unregulated mining activities in this country has now reached alarming levels.

This situation has been caused by the arrival of foreign nationals and their active participation in illegal mining activities, popularly known as galamsey; leaving in its wake very devastating consequences for all.

The most serious consequence of this has been the destruction of our river bodies and our environment.

Most of our water bodies have been polluted with dangerous metals. These days, children in the worst affected areas where illegal mining is ongoing are being born with deformities of all kinds due to the toxicity of our rivers.

For now, the only river not affected by the menace appears to be the Volta.

The situation is now assuming alarming proportions with armed galamseyers!

Experts are predicting that if the menace of galamsey is not curbed immediately, Ghana will be importing potable water in the not-too-distant future.

In fact, the negative impact of galamsey in Ghana is now getting beyond our borders and affecting neighbouring countries.

The fight against galamsey appears to have been lost. On assumption of office, the President put his presidency on the line to end the crisis. Today, the battle has been lost but the fight must be won at all costs to curb the activities of this menace once and for all.

This is a collective responsibility for all to confront this potential threat to our existence as a people. Let’s all rise to the occasion to halt this activity now!