Help stop abandoned galamsey pit deaths - NGO tells government

A Non-Governmental Organization (NGO) in reclamation and rejuvenation, is calling on government to help stop the incidence of innocent persons, especially children, dying in abandoned Galamsey pits.

Operations Director of Partners of Nature Africa (PONA), Forster Amofah, who made the call in reaction to the death of two brothers in an abandoned pit filled with water at Manso Watereso in the Amansie South District of the Ashanti Region on January 9, lamented that such preventable deaths are becoming prevalent.

“If government could mobilize resources, together with the small-scale miners to reclaim and rejuvenate such pits, these deaths could be avoided,” Mr. Amofah stated in a sad tone.

He recalled how PONA had made similar calls to government to ensure small-scale miners covered and reclaimed mined pits after their operations, expressing regret that if the call was heeded, “We wouldn’t be mourning the loss of these innocent brothers going to their farms to get something for their families.”

Mr. Amofah noted that reclamation is one of the best ways not only to restore degraded lands and forests to their agricultural or vegetative use after mining activities but also to prevent such unfortunate deaths.

He expressed condolences to the bereaved family and called on chiefs, District Assembles, assembly members, community leaders and members to insist on the restoration of deleted lands and Galamsey pits in their areas after mining operations.

He appealed to the government to support PONA’s programme of action to reclaim depleted lands in mining areas.

Partners of Nature Africa, an NGO in reclamation, has for the past seven years been working with small-scale miners and community leaders in the restoration of depleted sites in some ten regions in the country.

The Organization has entered into a partnership with the Centre for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) and the Crop Research Institute (CRI) to introduce the planting of economic crops on reclaimed lands in some Galamsey areas, as an alternative livelihood programme.