The government has said with the establishment of small-scale community mining schemes, its body is keen on ending galamsey.
Speaking at the commissioning of the Small-Scale Community Mining Scheme at Atwemanso in the Ashanti Region, George Mireku Duker reiterated the government’s commitment to fighting the menace with the establishment of the schemes.
“Galamsey has been in existence for years, even before I was born but it’s the government’s vision and efforts to ensure that we sanitize the sector. So we’ve put in place measures such as the small-scale community mining that will help put a stop to this canker,”
According to the Deputy Minister for Lands and Natural Resources, illegal mining generally occurs in abandoned shafts or within improperly closed mines.
Additionally, the government will implement intermediate and permanent measures to manage these sites and coordinate long-term monitoring systems.
Mr. Mireku Duker believes the establishment of the scheme is to create job opportunities for the youth in the community.
“In my constituency, one community mining that we have is taking on board about 5,000 (people). With this at Atwemanso, we are year marking 2,000 job opportunities for the youth,” he added.
The negative impact of illegal mining is visible across the country; manifesting in deforestation, water pollution, and the destruction of livelihoods.
The use of toxic chemicals such as mercury and cyanide to extract gold contaminates rivers and soil hence the commitment by the government to curb the canker.
Pulse
