The head of the Anti-Illegal Mining Unit of Ghana Cocoa Board, (COCOBOD), Prof. Michael Kwarteng, has bemoaned the devastating nature of illegal mining also known as ‘galamsey’ which is affecting the agricultural fortunes of Ghana.
The effect of the practice that has negatively impacted Ghana’s cocoa, according to Prof. Kwarteng, has affected the entire agricultural spectrum, due to how contaminated the act has plunged the country’s water bodies into.
He explains the contaminated levels have rendered the waters useless, making them incapable to irrigate farms.
On Onua TV’s morning show, Maakye, Tuesday, April 23, 2024, Prof. Kwarteng in a telephone interview disclosed to Captain Smart, host of the show, that farmers have had to go to their farms with “pure water” to irrigate their farms since the rivers which they hitherto used have all been contaminated.
He cautioned against sitting aloof for galamsey to affect Ghana’s education since it has already reduced the labour-force for cocoa production.
Speaking about the state of Ghana’s water bodies, he said “River Pra, River Offin, River Birim have all been contaminated.”
“The challenge today is that farmers do not even get water to irrigate their farms so they purchase pure [sachet] water to the farms to irrigate their crops. They don’t get water because all the rivers in their area have been contaminated. Labour on cocoa production has become difficult because the youth have migrated to galamsey and if care is not taken, it will affect even our education,” he said in Twi.
‘We are attempting to walk on our heads by turning our soil upside down’ – Abu Sakara on ‘galamsey’
