Illegal mining: Mankran River in Ashanti Region under siege

The continuous pollution of the Mankran River has compelled residents of Mankranso in the Ashanti Region to now rely heavily on groundwater.

Residents complain that water from the tap is often unwholesome and does not even flow regularly.

A visit to the area to assess the current state of the river and its impact on residents revealed the struggles in accessing potable water for personal use.

Looming food scarcity

A major farming community has now become one of the hubs of illegal mining. Most of the farmlands in Mankranso have paved way for the mining of gold.

“Food has now become expensive in this area because production has declined drastically due to the galamsey. Life is becoming unbearable for some of us”, a visibly worried resident, Adwoa Felicia shares.

Pollution of Mankran River

The Mankran River, which was serving the purposes of farm irrigation, drinking and other domestic activities has in recent time suffered heavy pollution from illegal mining.

Concerned residents want an action to be taken now to end the illegal menace.

“Just 3 days ago, upon my return from farm, I opened the tap and the water coming from it was just like the polluted Mankran River. We plead with the traditional authorities as custodians of the land to be firm in dealing with illegal mining. The destruction is getting scarier, and we should not politicize this fight”, an angry resident, Seidu Adam indicates.

A call to action

58-year-old Aunty Esi fears for the future of residents should the illegal mining be allowed to thrive in the area.

“Galamsey has destroyed all our water bodies. But for the intervention of some Muslim group who provided borehole in this area, we would be struggling to get potable water. If you don’t carry water along to the farm, you won’t get any to drink. Just some few years back, even if your coin drops in the Mankran River you can see it and pick it up. There were different species of fish in the river but not anymore due to the pollution. If this is not addressed, the future generation will suffer,” she said.

Whilst most of the residents rely on groundwater and rainwater, those who can afford buy water from vendors on daily basis; something they describe as a drain on their finances.

“I spend almost GHC100 every week for water. A barrel costs GHC30 and it doesn’t last beyond 3 days”, Appau Nsiah points out.

Residents are only hoping that, the renewed fight against galamsey will improve the state of their water bodies because it’s continuous destruction affects lives and livelihood.

Read also:

Government suspends enforcement of L.I 2462 on mining in forest reserves | 3News

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