WaterAid demands immediate halt to illegal mining as water supply drops 75% due to pollution

WaterAid is calling for “immediate action to end the ecocide caused by illegal mining” following reports that the Ghana Water Company has been forced to reduce its clean water supply by 75%, impacting hundreds of thousands of residents across the southern coast of the country. 

The Ghana Water Limited  reports that it cannot handle the current volume of pollution, which is now seven times higher than usual, due to illegal gold mining on major water bodies in Eastern, Ashanti, Central and Western Region. The River Pra - one of the largest rivers in the country and a main source of drinking water for the local community. They are urgently seeking assistance to put an end to this illegal mining activity which accounted for over 40% of mining in 2018. 

Ewurabena Yanyi-Akofur, WaterAid Ghana Country Director, said:

Ghana’s water supply - the lifeblood of our country – is in crisis because of this practice, which has been allowed to continue unchecked. The recent news of a 75% reduction in clean water supply to Cape Coast, Elmina and surrounding communities is a wake-up call, underscoring the alarming threat posed by illegal mining. This issue risks engulfing the entire country and reversing the progress we have made in providing clean water to everyone, everywhere.”

The international charity WaterAid has spoken to communities involved in illegal mining in Ghana’s Upper East Region, in Bongo and Bawku West districts. Over three quarters of those surveyed saw the practice as a lucrative source of income despite the overwhelming majority – 97% - being aware of the dangerous impacts to the environment and water sources. Alarmingly, 79% reported health issues, such as chest pains, directly linked to their work in illegal mining.

WaterAid is warning that Ghanaians, especially young boys, are being drawn into the industry to escape a cycle of poverty – a cycle that is being made worse by the impacts of climate change, as increasingly extreme weather disrupts traditional sources of employment, such as farming. 

One illegal gold miner, who requested anonymity, told WaterAid:

Most of the boys have left school because of what they get from the “galamsey” . They are able to make money fast from it. Water [used in the illegal mining process] is contaminated with mercury and trees are often cleared to make way for them to dig. The pits are almost everywhere making it impossible for people to farm on those areas again. Most of the mining communities drink or use the river water for various activities … which can be harmful to humans and animals.”

Ewurabena Yanyi-Akofur, WaterAid Ghana Country Director added:

Extreme weather events – from drought to flooding – are already threatening fragile water sources and as we’ve heard from communities, it is pushing even more young people – particularly those living in poverty – into this illegal activity. This is not just a problem for the country’s most marginalised; it threatens us all. Water contamination means higher costs and tariffs, while mercury and heavy metals is poisoning our food supply. The time for well-intentioned words is over. The government must act now. Future generations are counting on us. The history books will judge our inaction.”

ENDS

For media queries, please contact Safeeyah Kazi, Senior Media Officer, [email protected] or call WaterAid’s press line on 020 7793 4537, or email [email protected]. 

Notes to editors

About WaterAid

WaterAid is an international not-for-profit determined to make clean water, decent toilets and good hygiene normal for everyone, everywhere within a generation. We work alongside communities in 22 countries to secure these three essentials that transform people’s lives. Since 1981, WaterAid has reached 28 million people with clean water and nearly 29 million people with decent toilets.

For more information, visit our website wateraid.org/uk; follow us on Twitter @WaterAidUK, @WaterAid or @WaterAidPress; or find us on Facebook, LinkedIn or Instagram.

• 703 million people in the world – almost one in ten – don’t have clean water close to home.
• 2.2 billion people in the world – more than one in four – don’t have safe water.
• Almost 2 billion people in the world – one in four – lack soap and/or water to wash their hands at home, if they have a place at all.
• 1.5 billion people in the world – almost one in five – don’t have a decent toilet of their own.
• 570 million people in the world – 1 in 14 – have a decent toilet but have to share it with people outside their family. This compromises the privacy, dignity and safety of women and girls.¹
• Almost 400,000 children under five die every year due to diseases caused by unsafe water, sanitation and hygiene. That's more than 1000 children a day, or almost one child every one and a half minutes.²
• Investing in safely managed water, sanitation and hygiene services provides up to 21 times more value than it costs.³

1: WHO/UNICEF (2023), Progress on household drinking water, sanitation and hygiene 2000-2022: special focus on gender (accessed 11 Jul 2023)

2: WHO (2023), Burden of disease attributable to unsafe drinking-water, sanitation and hygiene: 2019 update (accessed 24 Jul 2023)

3: WaterAid (2021), Mission-critical: Invest in water, sanitation and hygiene for a healthy and green economic recovery (accessed 1 Nov 2023).