The galamsey fight is non-negotiable: Those who have ears, let them hear
For nearly three decades and a half, it took up the task of trumpeting the essence, indeed the significance of environmental protection with emphasis on the protection and conservation of rivers and other water bodies in the country.
Criss-crossing the country with messages and educational campaigns preaching against the destruction of rivers, it also vigorously pursued tree-planting programmes along the banks of some selected major water bodies across the country.
This, in a nutshell, encapsulates the story of Friends of Rivers and Water Bodies (FRWB), an environmental non-governmental organisation, cleaving to the personal resources of its founder and president, Reverend Nana Dwomoh Sarpong, to finance its activities.
Rev. Dwomoh Sarpong, an environmentalist, businessman and philanthropist had for a long time, studied and examined the flagrant destruction of water bodies and its effects on the environment.
The persistent spectacle of the wanton encroachment on water courses, particularly in the urban areas while the Metropolitan, Municipal and District Assemblies looked shockingly helpless and incapable of reversing the trend, really bothered him.
He consequently established the NGO to serve as a special purpose vehicle to spearhead the crusade against the pollution and destruction of rivers and water bodies.
Perhaps, a prophet, Rev. Dwomoh Sarpong had foreseen the dangers inherent in the senseless encroachment on major rivers largely through illegal mining activities popularly referred to as galamsey and incessantly charged the appropriate authorities to act decisively and timeously too to avert a looming water and environmental catastrophe. That was in 1989, about 36 years ago but no one appeared to have listened.
Today, our major rivers notably Ankobra, Pra, Offin, Birim and Ayensu have become a pale shadow of themselves. They have seriously been invaded by hordes of illegal miners whose only interest is to make money by mining gold using all sorts of crude and destructive methods specifically the improper use of excavators and toxic chemicals mindless of the disastrous consequences.
Sadly, as a nation, very little has so far been done instead of grabbing the bull by the horns in dealing with the situation. For reasons difficult to decipher, we have toyed with the galamsey problem as a pet and rather succeeded in nurturing it into an “untamable” monster.
If only we had listened to Rev. Dwomoh Sarpong and his NGO, this self-created monster won’t be subjecting the entire nation to the rigmarole of brazen diversion and pollution of rivers impacting negatively on some major water supply systems, human and animal health, agricultural and food production.
Is it any wonder that we are currently confronted with galamsey’s hydra-headed issues of still-birth and babies born with all sorts of deformities, contaminated food and cash crops?
The government appears to be pussy-footing with the canker but clearly the fight against galamsey cannot be postponed. It is a task that must be accomplished or won at all cost if we believe in the wise-saying that water, is indeed, life. We no longer need scientists or environmental experts to expatiate on the dangers of galamsey for even the class one pupil now knows of the menace and its effects on mankind.
The plain truth is that the survival of both the current and future generations is being threatened by this galamsey monster. We have had enough of the trial and error tactics and the time to act decisively to halt the canker is now to save us from dying slowly.
Death is staring at all of us so those who have ears, let them hear and act accordingly.
It’s however, heart-warming to acknowledge the relentless, unwavering and incalculable contribution of my colleague, Mr Erastus Asare Donkoh, Dr Kenneth Ashigbey, Madam Awula Serwaah, Media Coalition Against Illegal Mining, Arocha (Ghana) and other well-meaning individuals and organisations towards the fight to eradicate or curb the menace.
Ayekoo! Ghana salutes you and all patriots involved in the fight against galamsey.
BY FRANK OTCHERE