Public Agenda (Accra)
Selorm Amevor
27 June 2008
The Commission for Human Rights and Administrative Justice (CHRAJ) has pronounced mining companies in Ghana guilty of various forms of human rights abuses in their host communities.
This development according to CHRAJ if not left unchecked could undermine the country's democracy and the benefit of mining for national development.
In a draft investigative report into the state of human rights in mining communities, CHRAJ indicates that its findings revealed evidence of widespread violations of human rights of individuals and communities in which they operate.
The investigations was launched in December 2006 with the aim of assessing the human rights situation in mining communities, examining the extent of pollution of water bodies and causes of environmental degradation and promoting cordial relations between mining companies and communities and was funded by DFID,UNDP and DANIDA.
The report which is expected to be launched later this year further revealed that there has been widespread pollution of water sources, deprivation, loss of livelihoods, health problems, use of both state and private security to torture community members and inadequate compensation.
According to the report mining companies maintain private security to protect their concessions and property from trespassers and also all the mining companies with the assistance of the government through the various Regional Security Councils (REGSEC) deploy the police and military to protect their concessions.
In the case of large-scale concessions artisanal miners are harassed and brutalized often with the help of the state security.
The report had evidence to show that Anglo Gold Ashanti at Obuasi use state security and guard dogs in its fight against the encroachment of galamseys and the worse affected communities were Sansu,Dokyiwa ,Binsere ,Akatakyieso all in the concession areas of AngloGold.
According to the report almost all mining companies they visited namely AngloGold Ashanti (AGA), Chirano, Central African Gold Ghana ltd (CAGGL), Abosso Goldfields limited (AGL) and Bogoso Gold ltd (BGL) have all established permanent posts in their concessions for the military, the police or both.
The report further revealed that there were periodic exercises carried out by the police and military code named "operation flush out" during which atrocities were meted out on community members.
The Commission therefore called on the government to make a real contribution to the fight against torture by desisting from the use of the military in the mining communities unless the situation is so grave and beyond the control of the police service.
According to CHRAJ their investigations on the water situation in mining communities indicated that access to water is a problem in many communities since many rivers and streams which hitherto provided water for the communities have either been polluted or destroyed.
In addition there were recordings of cyanide spillage into rivers and streams by the mining companies besides, the use of mercury in small-scale mining.
According to CHRAJ, the companies as a measure have provided alternative water supply to these communities such as standpipes, boreholes and pipe borne water with some malfunctioning.
Apart from the malfunctioning of these water sources, the report indicated that some of the water provided to the communities were unsafe and that tests they conducted on water sources in 22 out of 28 mining communities showed that at least two water quality parameters with health implications were present and in concentrations significantly higher than the World Health Organization's (WHO) maximum allowable limits for drinking water.
Touching on environmental pollution and blasting, the report said that there were widespread complaints about dust and noise pollution from mining activities and also there was evidence that the companies do not take dust suppression measures seriously and often limited sprinkling of water to the areas where they were actively operating.
In addition it was clear that some communities were bearing the negative brunt of the mining activities of some companies and this has led such communities to appeal for resettlement.
The report further revealed that the blasting activities of mining companies have caused cracks in several buildings at Obuasi and Prestea as well as other communities where there is large-scale mining.
According to the report, communities visited contended that noise and dust from blasts and the movement of large haulage trucks constitute a major nuisance to them and the noise from blasting detracts school children from paying attention in class, while residents have sleepless nights when blasting occurs in the night.
In addition the women complained that people usually experience shock and children are frightened when there is sudden loud blasting and they have to consistently re-plaster their cracked buildings at their own costs.
The CHRAJ report further revealed that most mining communities attributed a variety of health problems prevalent in their communities to mining activities.
For instance, Medical Officers at the Bryant Mission and Obuasi Government medical facilities acknowledged that some of the diseases prevalent in communities in the periphery of the mine are in partly attributable to mining.
The report indicated that diseases suffered by community dwellers are skin diseases, chest diseases, including Tuberculosis(TB), diarrhoea and malaria as well as typhoid , while for communities lying very close to centres of mining activities air pollution makes them experience dizziness and headache.
The Commission therefore recommended that there should be further testing of fruit ,fish and bush meat samples at Obuasi in order to ascertain whether chemical use in mining are present in them.
In addition they urged the government and the Ministry of Health to urgently assess the overall health needs of rural communities, especially mining communities with a view of providing health care to these communities in the most efficient manner.
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