The Member of Parliament (MP) for Takoradi, Mr Kwabena Okyere Darko-Mensah, has underscored the need to construct tailings processing dams/ hubs along the bank of the galamsey-polluted Ankobra River for gold ore processing for those mining around the area to use the hub and treat the water before dumping it back into the Ankobra River as a scientifically proven means for purification of the polluted water.
He noted that the resource-endowed town of Akwatia mines diamonds in a river, yet it is not polluted, and therefore called for a pragmatic but not emotional approach to mining.
He added that at Adamus Mines, there is a river which is always clean because they have tailing dams.
Mr Okyere Darko-Mensah, who is the former Western Regional Minister, was speaking to the Ghana News Agency in an interview in Takoradi.
The Takoradi MP expressed optimism that the polluted Ankobra River “can be fixed” if prudent measures were put in place.
“It can be fixed. Just do tailings dams 100 meters away from the riverbanks and process gold ore there for all miners in the areas”, he admonished.
According to the MP for Takoradi, in the Gold Coast era around 1948, the Ankobra River Mine was incorporated and mined in the Akobra area and also exercised oversight responsibility of the purification of the polluted River.
Akobra River Mine later turned into the Hiawa Prison Camp we know today, after the demise of the company due to bad management.
“We can do say 10 dams hubs along the river banks and do the transportation prices so miners do not lose out on transportation costs like we do for Bost, Goil fuel tankers and COCOBOD transporters”.
The hub, he noted, will be security sites for the police stations and would therefore be accountable for the kilometres of river paths under their care and protection, unlike a task force which moves around and is not stationary.
He said the hub will also serve as a permanent police post for water guards and the police so they are responsible for their section of the river.
Mr Okyere Darko-Mensah called for investment plans to attract capital to undertake such bold and ambitious solutions, “by first stopping the demonisation of mining”.
He observed that no miner will foolishly pour their chemicals & mercury in a river because they are very expensive, adding that “the narrative we have put out there is making mining unattractive, and that is my problem”.
The MP said even mercury-contaminated land can easily be recovered with cabbage plants or hydrogen sulfide. The common lime (we use for painting) sold by Cameus Ltd can also be used to restore degraded lands for plant regeneration.
“It was against this backdrop that, as a Regional Minister, I started the gold expo to educate people, and we did a whole session on tailing dams four years ago.” We also brought in Hon Dwumah Odoom ( Nigeria rice miracle expert) to tour the western region to restore galamsey-degraded lands.
He said tailing dams can be done with tapolin /rubber lining and excavators
” The tailing dams projects can attract financial capital and charge for tolling for processing gold ore and be regulated and managed professionally”.
Mr Okyere Darko-Mensah advised Ghanaians to stop being emotional and rather be pragmatic about mining so that ” we are not kept poor for people to take advantage of us”.
Credit-GNA
