Galamsey pollution 'forces' Church of Pentecost to halt river baptism

Chairman of the Church of Pentecost, Apostle Eric Nyamekye, has expressed concern about the impact of illegal mining activities otherwise known as galamsey in the country.

Delivering the State of the Church Address at the 48th General Conference on Wednesday, April 22, 2026, he explained that widespread environmental degradation caused by galamsey has led to severe pollution of river bodies, especially in mining communities.

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The situation, he said has made many natural water sources unsafe for use in traditional Christian practices such as water baptism.

According to him, the contamination of rivers has forced the church to abandon river baptisms in affected areas and adopt alternative methods.

"Environmental degradation and galamsey menace. The extensive pollution of water bodies due to illegal mining has hampered traditional water baptism in some mining communities, necessitating a shift to synthetic rubber pools in several districts to carry out the ordinance", he stated.

Apostle Nyamekye also pointed out the larger impact of galamsey activities on church members who depend on farming for their livelihood.

Despite efforts by successive governments to curb galamsey, the menace continues to persist causing continued environment degradation and pollution of water bodies.

JKB/VPO

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