'Ban small-scale mining and declare state of emergency now' - CHRAJ boss and oda groups for Ghana tok president Akufo-Addo

Ogbonge groups for Ghana say make goment declare state of emergency for di kontri and ban all types of small-scale mining.

Dis dey follow di fact say plenti rivers don dey polluted from di activities of alleged illegal gold miners.

Di kontri water company say dey no fit to treat di polluted water wey gat mercury, cyanide, lead and oda heavy metals sake of di galamsey activities.

For di central region, water crisis don hit di residents as di water company say dem no dey get enough raw water to treat sake of di water dey too polluted wit sand and oda tins.

One river wia dey pass thru di region be river Pra; but di water currently don turn brown like chocolate.

Tok tok pesin for di company Stanley Martey inside one statement say di water wahala go affect plenti pipo wey dey stay for cape coast, Elmina and oda communities.

“As raw water no dey enta di Sekyere Hemang water treatment, e don cause gap between di water demand of pipo and di supply to dis communities.”

Dey also tok say “di quality of di raw water don dey affected sake of 60% of di water get plenti sand from di galamsey activities.”

Na so di kontri don rise again to dey put pressure on goment say make dey deal wit di illegal gold mining inside rivers and oda forests.

Nine health sector associations say make goment declare state of emergency now

Health professionals across di kontri don enta di mata wia dey say make di president ban all forms of small-scale mining.

E don dey follow tori about how di galamsey dey affect di health of many pipo for dis areas wia dey don dey pollute dia rivers wit chemicals and oda heavy metals.

Inside one joint statement by di health sector unions wia gat doctors, nurses, environmental health officers among odas, dey tok say “if di mining continue without strict laws, e go affect di health of many more pipo especially for di rural areas wia di mining dey happun.”

“Respiratory sickness, skin disease, cholera and oda waterborne diseases for dis areas don dey increase for dis communities sake of mining activities wey nobody dey check,” di health workers associations tok.

Dem add inside di statement wia nine health sector unions sign, say “we don dey face ecological disaster wia dey affect human health wey dey gatz to address am now.”

CHRAJ dey disappointed wit di president for dis galamsey mata

Di commissioner on human rights and administrative justice (CHRAJ), Joseph Whitta, tok BBC pidgin say im agree say make di president declare “state of emergency” ova dis galamsey mata.

Inside one exclusive interview wit di CHRAJ boss, im tok say “I support di pipo wey tok say goment gat to declare state of emergency. Wetin di president dey wait? Di pollution and di health effect wey dey happun for babies and oda pipo dia organs for di kontri, dey shock we,” im tell BBC Pidgin.

Im also say he dey disappointed in di president sake of im dey look wey pipo dey destroy waterbodies and forests for di kontri.

“CHRAJ dey disappointed for di fight against galamsey wey goment say dey don dey do.”

“Sake of we expect say tins go change since di president tok say im go put im job on di line for 2017 to go deal wit di mata, but tins now dey worse. Presidents neva dey promise and dey fail to deliver, but wetin we see for our water bodies and environment make we dey disappointed wit di president.”

Tori dey say di pipo wey dey engage for di practice na big men and oda politicians.

CHRAJ boss tok say di commission sabi dis mata.

“If you win di vote of di pipo, you gat to work for them. We know say pipo for di governing party and oda big men dey benefit from dis, dat be di reason di goment dey reluctant to deal wit di galamsey mata.”

Minister for environment between 2017-2021, Professor Kwabena Frimpong -Boateng wey be di chairman of di interministerial committee on illegal mining (IMCIM) at di time, don write one report wey show say goment pipo bin dey involved for di illegal act.

Inside dat 36-page report wia im title, “report on di work of di interministerial committee on illegal mining - di way forward”, di former minister allege say some officials, party pipo and private citizens bin dey involved.

Im also mention say some of di pipo also dey di seat of goment.

Sake of dis report wey one lawmaker, Rockson Nelson Dafeamekpor bin write petition to CHRAJ say make dey investigate di goment and party pipo wey dey involve for galamsey.

BBC Pidgin bin ask di CHRAJ commissioner say wetin happun to dat investigation one year on?

Oga Whittal tok say “we don go very far for dat investigation, we gat enough evidence from di respondents; but now we enta di field proper, say we go verify di tins di pipo tok wey we go see di destruction for ourserf.”

According to oga Whittal, “di commission don comot eye for di part of di report wia neva mention pipo dia names but di oda parts wey involve pipo wey dey mention dia names, we don invite all of dem wey we hear from dem, very soon we go public our decision on di mata.”

Goment say dey go deploy military to galamsey sites immediately

As di pressure dey pile on goment to ban all forms of small-scale mining, di lands minister bin tok say dey go act.

Despite say sabi pipo bin chook hand for goment eye ova wetin dey describe as di 'failed fight against illegal mining', di lands minister bin tok say dey go deploy soldiers to di galamsey sites immediately.

"Goment dey hold emergency meeting ova di galamsey mata, wia we go deploy security forces to di areas wey dey affected by di illegal gold mining activities," di minister oga Abu Jinapor bin announce.

Im add say "di fresh measures go restore di kontri's waterbodies and forest resources."

Even though goment afta di president announce say im dey crackdown on galamsey, deploy forces to seize and destroy equipment of illegal miners in parts of din kontri, dat move neva deal wit di wahala; sake of di ogbonge pipo wey dey behind di illegal activities na goment and party pipo.

But di lands minister say dey go carry out swoops again.

"We dey carry law enforcement pipo to swoop all do areas especially di central region wia di water crisis don dey happun."

Despite dis assurance, di citizens say di real solution na say make di state prosecute di big boys wey dey involved.