The illegal mining crisis, often perceived as a rural problem, is a direct assault on the fundamental right to life for both rural and urban dwellers – a right enshrined in international and national laws. For our rural communities, the threat is immediate. Their daily lives depend on these poisoned rivers for survival. A struggle-to-survive situation orchestrated by the nefarious activities of illegal miners popularly referred to in our local parlance as ‘galamseyers’. A man-made calamity it is!
The contamination of these water bodies affects the rural folks’ right to potable drinking water, which is a basic human necessity. These harmful chemicals injected into our rivers in search of gold also destroy farmlands, killing crops and leaving harvested food produce with heavy metal toxins. Does this not worry you? The destruction of these farmlands—the very source of rural dwellers’ food and livelihood—causes some to have no option but to abandon their ancestral homes and migrate to the already congested urban areas or resort to living in their poisoned lands and wait for death to slowly drag them to their early graves.
The silent killers in this tragedy are the very chemicals used to extract the gold from the earth. Illegal miners, undoubtedly, do not consider the lasting consequences of mixing chemicals directly into the gold-bearing soil—for if they did, they would think about the harm these chemicals pose to humans and the environment. Their only concern is to get as much gold as they can. For instance, mercury, a heavy metal of chilling toxicity, is the most common accomplice mixed directly with the gold-bearing soil and rock, often in open air, thereby contaminating the air, the soil, and, most harmfully, our water bodies.
This is where the true horror begins for the rural communities. These are people who live in a delicate balance with their environment, relying on local rivers and streams for every aspect of their lives. They drink from these water bodies, wash their clothes, and irrigate the very farms that feed us all. The mercury, once it enters the water bodies, releases deadly toxins which are then absorbed by aquatic life – a staple source of protein for the mining communities – which ultimately become morphed into a reservoir of poison.
But it doesn’t stop there. Other toxic chemicals, like cyanide and lead, are also released indiscriminately into the environment. The result is a murky, horrifying, opaque brown colour of water bodies, which has now become the sad reality of many Ghanaian rivers and streams—once a source of life but now a death trap. Such pollution leaves rural dwellers, who have no access to municipal water systems, no choice but to use these contaminated sources. As a result, they suffer from skin diseases and an array of long-term health problems, including kidney and nervous system damage from the heavy metal exposure.
However, the poison does not respect geographical boundaries. These rivers that flow through the villages eventually reach the cities, carrying with them the same toxic cocktail of heavy metals and chemicals. The treated water that flows from our taps is likely to be sourced from these very polluted rivers. Although water treatment plants filter out some contaminants, there may still exist some traces of these heavy metals present in our city water supply systems. Vegetables that are sold in urban markets are largely sourced from our rural areas, which are often hailed as a healthier choice than imported ones. But in recent times, food crops sourced from these rural areas embark on a journey of silent contamination onto our supposed healthy plates.
Farmers in rural areas with their lands depleted and their water sources tainted continue to plant and harvest, as they can hardly do anything to stop the crisis at hand. The heavy metals and chemical toxins from illegal mining, such as mercury, lead, and cadmium, are not just on the surface of the soil; they are absorbed by the very roots of plants. The food crops—the tomatoes, garden eggs, and leafy greens like ‘kontombere’, ‘ayoyo’, cucumbers, and a host of other vegetables that we see piled high in city markets, vibrant and seemingly fresh—are carriers of a toxic burden.
This toxic burden is a process known as bioaccumulation, which means these harmful substances are not washed away with a simple rinse. They have become an integral part of the food itself. The days when you could just grab a fresh tomato and eat without worry is impossible now unless you own a small home garden or a toxic-free farm.
When these crops reach the urban areas, they enter a food chain that extends to every household. Urban dwellers, who may be far removed from the sight and sounds of illegal mining, become the secondary victims. The long- and short-term health consequences are devastating and insidious. Chronic exposure to these heavy metals, even in small doses, can lead to a host of debilitating conditions. Mercury, for instance, is a potent neurotoxin that can cause neurological disorders, developmental problems in children, damage the kidneys and cause many forms of cancer — according to a recent medical report on the ‘galamsey’ crisis.
This is the dark legacy of illegal mining, also known as galamsey, a grim reminder that the health of the urban dweller is inextricably linked to the fate of the rural landscape.
I, therefore, make a frantic call on the vegetarian community and all fellow Ghanaians to join the fight against the galamsey menace. Let’s all come together to join forces and our voices to stop the staggering destruction caused by galamsey on our beautiful environment and lives.
Some of us who choose to stick to a vegetarian lifestyle, which is mostly fueled by the consumption of plant-based nutrition, might have the knowledge to source organic produce from alternative means outside of Ghana. The big question, however, is, do the rural folk even know his/her food is being poisoned, and do they have the means to place an alternative source of food produce on their dining tables? These realistic questions need answers, and it will take the efforts of all of us to find such answers.
The health crisis associated with galamsey is not a distant or abstract concern. It is a tangible threat to the very fabric of urban and rural life. To me, the cost of this menace is in the untold suffering and lost potential of a population unknowingly consuming a slow poison.
In the end, everyone, with no exclusion, will get to taste these harmful chemicals either through drinking water, breakfast, lunch or dinner. You should be concerned. Don’t you think so?
The writer is a food journalist, healthy food entrepreneur, and sustainable lifestyle advocate.
