Mining in Atiwa Forest will destroy environment …Prof. Yidana tells court

Professor Sandow Mark Yidana of the University of Ghana, has said that any activity in the place being designated for bauxite mining in the Atiwa Forest, will destroy water bodies and sur­rounding communities.

He told the Accra High Court that “any activity there, no matter how limited it is would have a far-reaching impact on communities nearby and others far away from the area and that is why we call it the Regional Recharge Area.”

Prof. Yidana said the three main rivers, Birim, Ayensu, and Densu which draw their recharge from Atewa Mountain made the place unique and, thus, no mining activity should be carried out there.”

He was answering questions under cross examination by Leona Johnson-Abassah, Principal State Attorney.

The cross examination was based on research by Prof. Yidana conducted on the Atewa Forest and its surrounding areas.

A Rocha Ghana, a non-profit organisa­tion and 10 other plaintiffs are challenging the government’s move to mine bauxite in the Atewa Range Forest, contending that the government is undertaking mining ac­tivities in the forest without mineral rights.

Prof. Yidana, who has specialised in hydrology, told the court presided over by Justice John Nyante Nyadu that the Atewa Forest is known by all hydro-geologist in the West Africa as a regional groundwater recharge area and hydrologically sensitive area.

The Principal State Attorney, however, suggested that, the human-induced activities Prof. Yidana mentioned did not include bauxite mining.

Johnson-Abassah, suggested to Prof. Yidana that modern technology has made it possible to mine Bauxite sustainably and reclaim the forest between 98 and 100 per cent and cited the Amazon Forest and the Jara Forest where reclamation has been successful.

But Prof. Yidana disagreed and said the examples were irrelevant in the discourse of the Atewa Forest because the climatic conditions were very different.

He said “the hydrogeology is different, the geology is different, the level of sensi­tivity is different so if for instance another area in Ghana other than the Atewa Forest were earmarked for this activity, my profes­sional advice would have been completely different.”

Prof. Yidana said “that is correct, but even with that the fact that human activities are taking place in areas not regarded as sensitive hydrologically as the top of the Atewa Mountain, their effects are being felt so the impact will be more severe or graver when they take place at the top of the mountain, because they would be more widespread and my Lord, think of what would probably happen if in the dry season the Densu River ceases to flow, it is benefit­ing significantly from this flow which hap­pens, because we have appreciable ground water recharge at the top of the mountain.”

 BY MALIK SULLEMANA

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