17 April 2008
editorial
A research conducted by the Water Reserarch Institute (WRI) of the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) has revealed that most of the creeks at Taberebie, near Tarkwa, in the Western Region have been polluted by the AngloGold Ashanti Iduaprime mines.
The report, which was signed by Dr. J.A. Ampofo, Head of Microbiology of the Environmental Biology and Health Division of the WRI and released to FoodFirst Information and Action Network (FIAN)-Ghana, an International Human Rights Organisation stated that "the effluent from the pipes at Mile 5 (bungalows) and Mile 6 (bungalows and offices) supplied for analysis are not bacteriologically safe to be discharged into the environment as they are heavily contaminated with pathogenic bacteria and possibly other micro organisms. It is important for these effluents to receive pre-treatment before discharging them to the environment."
The report further stated that most of the inhabitants depend on the creeks for their source of drinking water therefore discharging such a chemical waste into them could have health implications on the people.
The Chronicle finds this research report very worrisome and calls on the government to intervene quickly to save the lives of the people. AngloGold Ashanti, like the rest of the mining companies is always in the news trumpeting their success story about how they are dealing with the environment in which they operate.
The Chronicle is therefore surprised that contrary to what they are preaching in the news papers and the various radio stations, they are rather threatening the lives of the people, as has been revealed by the research. Ghana, as a country should not sit down for this to happen because we cannot afford to trade our lives for money. Government regulatory agencies must be seen to be working in the interest of the people whose lands have been taken away from them for these mining activities. We do not think that the foreign owners of these mining companies could indulge in such a bad environmental practice if they were mining in their own countries. Yes, the people of Teberebie may be poor but that does not mean that AngloGold Ashanti Iduaprime mine should trample upon their rights to a decent living.
People living in the Tarkwa mining district have on several occasions complained about the activities of the mining companies especially the pollution of their water bodies, but nobody seems to be listening to them. The Chronicle therefore calls on the government to use the latest development as a platform to address the problem once and for all. Teberebie people should not be treated as slaves in their own land.
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