Fishers at Anlo beach lament impact of ‘galamsey’ on their livelihoods

Fishers at Anlo beach in the Shama District of the Western Region have expressed worry over the devastating impacts of illegal mining, otherwise known as galamsey activities on their livelihoods.

The Ghana News Agency (GNA) observed during a visit to the community that the marine waters along the shores of Anlo Beach had been affected by the polluted River Pra that flows downstream to the sea within that enclave.

The situation, the fishers told the GNA, posed a direct threat to their fishing activities which was their only source of livelihoods in the community.

Mr George Ahiaku, a Fisherman, said: “As you can see, the colour of the sea has changed due to the pollution from the River Pra. This is something that we are worried about because it is affecting our fishing activities.”

He stated that the harmful chemicals used during the galamsey activities leached into the River Pra and then washed into the sea, and subsequently killed aquatic lives.

That, he added, affected their catch saying, “When we come ashore, we are not able to catch as much as we should because, I believe these toxic chemicals affect the fish stock in the sea.”

Mr Ahiaku expressed worry that the issue was translating into severe financial problems for them and their families and called for urgent action to deal with the galamsey menace.

Mr Godwin Kumah, the Unit Committee Chair of the area, said they were struggling to cope with the impact of galamsey on their activities, hence, called on the government to take decisive actions to stop illegal mining.

“We are not doing galamsey here, but we are facing the brunt of these activities from elsewhere. We are calling on the government to do something about this, otherwise there will be disaster,” he said.