The General Secretary of the University Ghana chapter of the University Teachers Association of Ghana, Dr. Jerry Joe Harrison, has made some disclosure on the impact of illegal mining which has taken over the country.
The University of Ghana lecturer says government is underestimating the impact of illegal mining which is also known as ‘galamsey’, the reason it is refusing to the calls to impose a ban.
Speaking with Captain Smart on Onua TV’s morning show, Maakye, Wednesday, October 09, 2024, he disclosed that there are many severe consequences of galamsey due to the metals that goes into the human system.
According to him, illegal mining can affect the cognitive ability of children and adversely impact their performance in school. He added that many mentally challenged persons on the streets are also as a result of mercury and cyanide in their system.
The metals, which he says cannot be retrieved with any technology in the world, is what causes the harm which render some people mentally incapacitated.
“Government and his people are underestimating the actual impact of galamsey. There are a lot of mad people whose predicament were caused by the metals –mercury and cyanide –in their system.
“A lot of children who are not performing in schools are also caused by the mercury and cyanide in their system. There is something called Mirror degenerative disorders and when that is affected, the children cannot perform in school,” he said in Twi, adding that “there is no technology in the world that can remove cyanide and mercury from water except reverse osmosis.”
