Ghanaian journalist and anti-galamsey campaigner Erastus Asare Donkor has raised fresh alarm over the environmental and health dangers posed by illegal mining, following the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) confirmation of widespread contamination from mining activities.
“The EPA’s research confirms findings in my documentary ‘Poisoned for Gold!’ This is the reason we don’t have to treat this lightly as a country. Haphazard mining is poisoning us across the country!!” Erastus declared.
The EPA report highlights significant mercury contamination, particularly in the Ashanti Region at Konongo Odumase and Zongo, posing serious health and environmental risks.
It also records concerning lead levels in the Savannah and Western Regions, elevated arsenic across Ashanti, and cadmium bioaccumulation in water and fish at Akwaboso.
Reacting to these findings, Erastus insisted that decisive measures are overdue. “We must stand as one people and fight this.
We should: enforce our laws with vigor; we must establish clear red zones for mining — waterbodies, settlements, farmlands, etc. Government’s reaction must be bold, rigorous and strong,” he stressed.
He also urged national institutions and the media to play their part. “NCCE must be resurrected and made to start using some of these findings on a nationwide campaign against these practices. Media houses must devote part of their time to education and do miners to that effect. TIME TO ACT IS NOW!!”
The EPA’s research points to widespread contamination, with arsenic detected across multiple regions and traces of mercury, lead, and cadmium showing up in soil, water, fish, and food crops in affected mining communities. Public health experts warn that such exposure can have long-term consequences, including birth defects, organ damage, and reduced life expectancy.
