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His Eminence Cardinal Peter Appiah Turkson, Chancellor of the Pontifical Academies of Sciences and Social Sciences, Vatican, Rome, has stated that poverty is the reason why many individuals engage in illicit small-scale mining (Galamsey).
Therefore, he has tasked the Ghanaian government with finding alternative employment for those involved in illicit small-scale mining, failing which the country might collapse.
In an interview with TV3’s Hot Issues on Sunday, October 13, he stated that “If the status quo remains, Ghana risks becoming a failed state.”
“We need to develop alternative industries to support the youth. Poverty is a reason a lot of these people go into illegal mining.”
18 chanfans, ten industrial water pumping equipment, and one excavator were destroyed earlier this week in various illicit mining sites around Ghana by the military sent in under the government’s “Operation Halt” plan to combat unlawful small-scale mining.
In order to revoke Legislative Instrument (L.I.) 2462, which permits mining in forest reserves, the Attorney General (AG) has instructed the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to present It to Parliament.
In an attempt to remedy the continuous environmental harm brought on by illegal mining, often known as galamsey, organized labor has demanded that the government abolish the statute. This move is in response to their requests.
To meet these needs, the government has said that it will address stakeholders’ concerns over the effects of mining operations in fragile places like forest reserves.
Because of this, it particularly consented to remove L.I. 2462, which sets rules for mining activities in certain environmentally sensitive areas.
The government’s decision to proceed with the revocation of the Legislative Instrument is a major step toward addressing the widespread environmental deterioration associated with galamsey.
Ecosystems have been destroyed, water bodies have been contaminated, and natural resources have sustained long-term harm as a result of mining in forest reserves.
On Thursday, October 10, the AG’s direction to the EPA was formally transmitted, reaffirming the government’s commitment to placing environmental preservation first despite growing public pressure.
The L.I. is believed to have been revoked in reaction to the public’s uproar over galamsey practices as well as the concerns expressed by labor organizations.
The Parliament will have the last word in abolishing the law, therefore outlawing any mining operations in forest reserves and harmonizing with the government’s more general environmental preservation objectives, after the EPA presents the Instrument to the legislature.
Source: Ghanatodayonline.com
