Asantehene Otumfuo Osei Tutu II has offered some sound recommendations to the government to complement the ongoing galamsey fight.
The Asantehene while delivering the keynote address at the Ashanti Regional edition of the Regional Dialogue on Small Scale Mining called on government to ban mining in forest reserves and water bodies.
He advocated for the strengthening of the Minerals Commission and Environmental Protection Agency to help them discharge their duties effectively.
According to him, the fight against the menace can only be successful when government stay commited to applying the existing laws fair and firmly.
“The Minerals Commission and in conjunction with the Geological Survey Authority should identify landmarks within the mining districts of the country exclusively for small scale mining purposes. This should reduce the current competition between large scale and small-scale mining.
“The capacities of the Minerals Commission and the Environmental Protection Agency should be adequately enhanced and adequate resources provided to enable them effectively regularize the activities of small scale mining to ensure compliance with regulatory requirements.
“With the exception of properly designed alluvial mining operations, mining near rivers and water bodies should be banned. The use of mercury for gold processing should be banned giving the toxicity to human health and the environment. This should then be replaced with training and capacity building for small scale miners on less dangerous means of gold recovery. Personal safety for small scale miners should be integral and encouraged”.
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