2nd October 2024 11:01:59 AM
3 mins readRetired Professor of Plant and Environmental Biology at the University of Ghana, Prof. Alfred Apau Oteng-Yeboah, has raised concerns about the use of water polluted by illegal mining activities on farm crops, stating that it poses a far greater danger than water from gutters.
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Speaking with Accra-based JoyNews, the professor explained that while water from gutters, commonly used in urban farming, poses short-term illnesses caused by microbes on crops, the produce grown with water affected by illegal mining activities when consumed can lead to the accumulation of chemicals such as mercury in an organism, leading to significant health risks.
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"We have urban farming systems where many people use gutter water to irrigate small vegetable farms. You can immediately see the impact of microbes on the crops’ surfaces, but these microbes are not visible to the naked eye. We only realize their presence when people consume the crops, resulting in diseases like cholera.”"When water is polluted by illegal mining, particularly with heavy metals, the danger is even greater.
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These metals are deliberately used to extract gold, but the remnants left behind are often ignored, and they have serious environmental consequences. This is why we refer to it as an existential threat. If we do not act now, we will face a situation of bioaccumulation where living organisms, including humans, absorb these metals through the food they consume from the soil, leading to dire consequences,” he clarified.Prof.
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Oteng-Yeboah stressed the urgent need to address this issue to avert long-term harm to both human health and the environment.Rivers such as the Bonsa in the Western Region and the Pra in the Ashanti Region have been heavily contaminated by toxic chemicals used in mining, while forest reserves like the Tano Nimiri in the Western North Region and the Draw River in the Western Region have also suffered extensive damage.
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The pollution of the Pra River due to illegal mining activities is causing severe repercussions that extend beyond the immediate destruction of the water source and the lack of potable water for nearby communities.Recent developments reveal that the contaminated river water is now being used to irrigate crops, putting public health at significant risk.
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A cocoa farmer from Twifo Praso in the Central Region disclosed this concerning practiceThere are incessant calls from the government to take pragmatic measures to finally address the issue of illegal mining.
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Organized Labour, led by the Trades Union Congress (TUC), has issued a stern warning to the government, threatening a nationwide strike by the end of September if decisive action is not taken to address the escalating illegal mining crisis.In a statement issued by Secretary General of the TUC, Organised Labour, Joshua Ansah, demanded the immediate declaration of a state of emergency in all areas affected by illegal mining.
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The group also called for a halt to all mining activities in forest reserves, the establishment of special courts to fast-track the prosecution of galamsey operators, and the deployment of the military to remove and destroy all mining equipment in affected areas.
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Watch video below:Feeding crops ‘galamsey water’ more lethal than gutter water - Prof Oteng-YeboahFunny Face | Partey | Black Stars | World War 3 | Accra Sports Stadium | Burna | Owusu Bempah | Yamal | Boko Haram | Opay | #tigpost pic.twitter.com/PYiy46OU6Z— TIG Post (@tigpost_) October 2, 2024
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