Pollution of Pra River by Illegal mining activities

in Ghana
Felix Ajibade, [email protected]
Francis Malangko , [email protected]
Rasaq Bolaji [email protected]
Uchenna Okoronkwo [email protected]
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SUMMARY
The Pra River Basin, located in south-central Ghana, is a forest basin that has been consumed by human activities such as illegal mining
known as galamsey.
Stakeholders such as Government and communities in the basin have expressed serious concern about the level of pollution caused by
the discharge of silt and heavy metals into the river.
The Pra river is one of the basins in Ghana with a significant level of illegal mining activities which can lead to water scarcity and heavy
metal contamination. Heavy metal contamination in water bodies is common in areas where illegal mining activities take place.
This study is set aside to examine the environmental and health impacts of illegal mining in the Pra basin.

THE PROBLEM
• Illegal gold mining is believed to be on the rise in the basin, and it is believed to be a major cause of heavy metal pollution in the
basin's surface and groundwater due to the indiscriminate use of mercury (Hg) and other metals toxic to human health during
mining operations. Therefore , One of the biggest problems caused by illegal mining is the use of mercury, which is poisonous to
human health, getting into the food chain when ingested fishes.
• Amalgamation is the preferred gold recovery method used by almost all illegal gold miners as it is a simple, inexpensive, and easy-
to-use procedure. Recently, the widespread use of Hg in gold mining has caused concern and the mass extinction of various species
of organisms including plants and animals. Its operations inherently consume large amounts of water, significantly polluting the
basin.
WHAT IS BEING DONE
Important steps have been taken in recent years to improve water management in the Pra basin. These include:
• Despite this, there are numerous environmental issues and concerns involved with mining, including contamination of, and
• Government bans on illegal mining
competition for, surface and groundwater..
• Legal enforcement of the ban
• The geo-accumulation index (Igeo), enrichment factor (EF), and pollution load index were used in an investigative study to estimate
• Cessation of issuing new permits and licenses to small scale miners
heavy metal pollution in the sediment of the Pra Basin of Ghana from 27 sampling sites during the dry and wet seasons.
• Installing river basin monitoring stations
• The metals investigated are arsenic (As), lead (Pb), cadmium (Cd), zinc (Zn), manganese (Mn), total chromium (Cr), nickel (Ni), and
• Continuous monitoring of water quality and sediment production levels in the basin
iron (Fe). • River sediment assessment to inform effective remediation measures
• Massive Foreign investment with increased industrialization in the gold mining sector.
• Launch of a media campaign against illegal mining.

Figure 1 - The Pra river before and after illegal mining. This shows that illegal mining contributes to high turbidity in the river.
Source: www.modernghana.com

IMPACTS
• Diversion of the river course
• Alteration in natural flow of the river
• Significant increase in level of siltation
• Entry of excessive levels of suspended particulates which can act as transporters of heavy metals.
• High treatment cost and shut down of water treatment plant.
•
•
Loss of livelihoods for fishermen
Land degradation
Image/Map/
•
•
Loss of fertile land for agriculture
Threat to public health on the river and its communities
Figure
• Loss of potable water for domestic purposes
• Biodiversity loss

Heavy Metal Concentration in Sediments from the Pra River

1600

1400

1200

1000

800

Figure 4– showing a campaign by Ghana media against illegal mining (Galamsey).

Figure
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THE FUTURE
• The Pra river is one of the signidfficant river that contributes to the economic development of Ghana. The basin has a lot of
200
potential in terms of irrigation and agriculture which will boost the water and food economy.
• Ghana can achieve coupled a well regulated mining sector that will not destroy the envioronment but rather also make
other key sector like the cooca industry to be revived thereby providing employment which helps to boost the Gross
0
Arsenic Cadmium Nickel Zinc Chromium Manganese Lead Iron
domestic product of the nation
• The Government will have to plan with Non Governmental organisations like World bank for reclamation of terrestrial and
aquatic ecosystems.
Dry Wet • As water is fundamental to life, anywhere the streams flows, people gather to enjoy the bliss that life has to offer.
Therefore., the community around the basin has to be optimistic for a better water resource which comes with huge
Figure 2 and 3 -Fig 2: showing the heavy metals present in the Pra basin sediments during the dry and wet season. sustainable benefits and opportunities to thrive.
Fig 3 showing the frequency of the various environmental impact of illegal mining .

CONCLUSION
Water is an important driver of economic development in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA), as it is an essential natural resource for agriculture, manufacturing, health and mining.
Ghana has abundant water resources, pressure on the Pra River basin due to human activities should be reduced to avoid water scarcity and loss of biodiversity.
Illegal mining has exacerbated surface water pollution in Ghana and this has changed the quality of water in the Pra Basin.
The knowledge of the basin’s current condition is important for policy formulation and conservation of the water bodies. This can be achieved through the synchronised and integrated contributions of governments and citizens to ensure that the basin is restored to its
quasi-natural state.
The government should have political will and not pay lip service to combating illegal mining activities: and not demonstrate complacency towards policy making on the river basin security.

REFERENCES
1. Albert Ebo Duncan , Nanne de Vries , Kwabena Biritwum Nyark o . Assessment of heavy metal pollution in the main Pra River and its tributaries in the Pra Basin of Ghana. Environmental Nanotechnology, Monitoring & Management Volume 10, December 2018,
Pages 264-271
2. Amegbey N. A., Dankwa J. B. K. and Al-Hasson S. (1997). Small scale mining in Ghana-Techniques and environmental considerations. Inter. J. Surface Min., Reclam. Environ. 11:135–138.
3. https://www.911metallurgist.com/blog/pra-river-in-ghana-can-become-chemically-contaminated-if-the-government-doesnt-act-against-illegal-mining.
4. www.3news.com.
5. Dorleku, M.K., Nukpezah, D. & Carboo, D. Effects of small-scale gold mining on heavy metal levels in groundwater in the Lower Pra Basin of Ghana. Appl Water Sci 8, 126 (2018). https://doi.org/10.1007/s13201-018-0773-z
6. Owusu O, Bansah KJ, Mensah AK. Small in size, but big in impact: socio-environmental reforms for sustainable artisanal and small-scale mining. J Sustain Min 2019;18:38e44. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jsm.2019.02.001
7. https://www.modernghana.com/news/635519/galamsey-activities-sunyani-residents-risk-not-having-good.html
8. WRC, 2012. National Integrated Water Resources Management Plan