Mining law has no human rights provision - Wacam

Limitations in the Minerals and Mining Act has become a safe haven for several mining companies to make enormous profits from their operations at the detriment of local communities, Mrs Hannah-Owusu Koranteng, Associate Director of WACAM, observed on Thursday.

She noted that the entire Act 846 had no human rights provision that protected and defend the dignity and liberty of local people, who are directly or indirectly affected by operations of mining companies.

Speaking at a stakeholder’s workshop on the Minerals and Mining Act at Abesim, near Sunyani, Mrs Owusu-Koranteng regretted the use of the military to brutalise local people in mine-take communities in their demands for protection and of their rights and property.

The workshop was organized by WACAM, an anti-mining advocacy organization and was attended by assembly members, civil society organizations, media practitioners, police, as well as representatives from the water resource commission and the Environmental Protection Agency.

It was aimed at sensitizing stakeholders on promoting rule of law and reducing conflicts in mining communities as well as building and strengthening relationships between regulatory agencies and mining communities.

Mrs Owusu-Koranteng observed that most mining communities are limited in participating effectively in the decisions of natural resource exploitation with most communities ceding their lands to mining companies.

“The exploitation has also been associated with various forms of human rights violations, which have led to conflicts between host communities and mining companies”, she added.

Mrs Owusu-Koranteng said “because there is low consciousness about rights issues within these areas and coupled with their weak capacities, it makes it very difficult for them to engage in technical issues about mining investment”.

Mr Samuel Obiri, Executive Director of the Center for Environmental Impact Assessment, an NGO, said a baseline survey conducted by his organization in 2008 revealed that out of the 160 streams and rivers in Obuasi mining area, 145 are polluted by operations of mining companies and illegal miners.

Similarly, all the 117 rivers and streams in the Tarkwa mining area are also polluted, he said, adding that, diseases such as diarrheoa, nausea, abdominal pains as well as anaemia, liver and kidney failure are rife in mining communities.

Mr Obiri stressed the need to sensitize stakeholders in the mining sector to help come out with polices and regulations that would be sensitize to community and national interest.