Alarm blows – Ghana imported $11 million worth of water in 2023 due to galamsey

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Galamsey river

Lawyer Edudzi Tamakloe, the CEO of the National Petroleum Authority, has blown an alarm on the devastation caused by the illegal mining menace (galamsey).

According to Lawyer Edudzi Tamakloe, Ghana imported water into the country worth almost 11 million in 2023.

Speaking on Accra-based Okay FM, Edudzi Tamakloe asked the show host, “Do you know that in 2023, imported water alone into Ghana cost almost 11 million dollars?”

He further urged called on chiefs and other opinion leaders to join the fight against the galamsey menace.

Meanwhile, Prof Nana Ama Browne Klutse, Executive Director of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), has said Ghana will need US$200,000 to pilot nano nano-liquid technological solution to reverse the devastation caused by illegal mining (galamsey).

According to the Executive Director EPA, the dechemicalization solution, containing a copper-based ‘nano liquid,’ has been laboratory-tested and proven effective in purifying heavily contaminated rivers.

She revealed the EPA is looking at various options, including membrane-based purification.

Speaking on JOYNEWS The Probe, October 5, Prof. Nana Ama Browne Klutse explained, “I want to tell my fellow Ghanaians that there is still hope, because we are in a technology age”.

“Yes, there’s a nano liquid that is copper-based that can be used. That’s just one”.

She added, “We have tried this, which has been tested in Greece. I have seen for myself. We have done the test in the lab for the EPA and advised the government on this; we have tested it, and it works, and it’s doable.”

“To do pilots to show to Ghanaians and even the presidents that this is doable. We need 200,000 USD if I get it today, we will do the pilot for every Ghanaian to see that with the flowing river, this particular technology can be used.”

“We are looking at all of the options, and we will have to decide on the one that is more affordable, not just cheap affordable, because it’s effective and also cost-effective”, Prof Nana Ama Browne Klutse added.

Also, a Toxicologist, Yakubu Adam, has issued a blunt warning that no amount of cooking or seasoning can destroy mercury, a heavy metal found in foodstuffs.

The toxicologist revealed that mercury, which is a heavy metal, has a lifespan of 880 years.

Toxicologist Yakubu Adam directly linked this immutable fact to the recent cases of food poisoning.

He argued that without a decisive end to illegal mining (galamsey), there is no viable solution to the contamination of the food supply.

Speaking on TV3 New Day, Toxicologist Yakubu Adam explained, “When it comes to the mercury that we are talking about, it is a heavy metal and it is also non-biodegradable, meaning it can never be destroyed when it gets into the environment, it stays in the environment.

One thing about this mercury is that if you end up taking it in your body, and you pass on through the natural process when they bury you inside the soil, you go with the mercury in your grave, so this mercury can stay in the environment for about 880 years without being destroyed, and there is nothing that can destroy it.

No amount of heat, no amount of salt, no amount of whatever you think can. You know this is not a bacterial infection or a fungal infection. They are not caused by parasites; this is heavy metals”.

He added, “So, salt water, heating, and everything can never break down this mercury in our food. When it gets into our food, it stays in our food, and we end up consuming it, and it gets into our bodies, and there are a lot of health implications”.

When it gets to our body, the major depositing part is our brain. When it gets there, it can stay in our brain for almost 20 years and can lead to neurological or neuroregenerative problems”.

The Toxicologist added that the only way to stop the exposure is to stop illegal mining (galamsey) or to stop the use of mercury in mining processes.

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