Residents of Agona East in the Central Region say they are paying a heavy price for galamsey pollution despite having no mining activities in their district.
On a visit to Agona Kwanyako, Dennis Miracles Aboagye, Director of Communications for the Bawumia Campaign Team, described the situation as heartbreaking, noting that the Ayensu River, the only major water source for Kwanyako, Mankrong, and nearby towns, has been badly polluted by illegal mining in the Eastern Region.
“The government’s stance on galamsey gives no hope, and the sad part is that communities like Agona East don’t even mine, yet they’re paying the price,” Aboagye said.
At the Kwanyako Headworks, residents expressed anger that they are now forced to boil or treat unsafe water before use.
“Agona East has never seen gold before, but here we are suffering from its destruction,” one resident lamented. Another elderly man added, “We vote for leaders who don’t have our best interest at heart.”
Aboagye urged the NDC government led by President John Dramani Mahama to act on its campaign promise to declare a state of emergency on illegal mining, stressing that communities should not be left to suffer from a problem they did not create.
