A Deputy Minister of Information, Fatimatu Abubakar has indicated that kidney and liver diseases are increasing in some parts of the country especially in mining areas due to the impacts of illegal small scale mining (Galamsey).
In her view, the country needs a proactive response to the galamsey menace.
Speaking on the on 3FM Tuesday October 11, she indicated that the government is determined to nip this in the bud.
“We cannot move the whole military into the mining areas. We need to solve this problem. There is so much that we need to do and I can say that the president is committed to fighting corruption.
“We need a proactive response and not a response to response. We need intelligence and intention to fight this galamsey menace.
“We have a lot of kidney and liver diseases as a result of this illegal mining,” she said.
Meanwhile, President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo has told the National House of Chiefs that the task to protect the lands and the environment from the effect of Galamsey is a joint responsibility between the government and the traditional authorities.
Mr Akufo-Addo explained during a meeting with the Chiefs in Kumasi on Wednesday October 5 that 80 per cent of the lands in Ghana are in the custody of the chiefs.
This means that they have a role to play in protecting the resource, he said.
SOURCE: 3News.com
