UTAG Threatens Strike Action If Government Does Not Ban Mining In Forest Reserves, Farms And Rivers
- The University Teachers Association of Ghana (UTAG) has urged the government to ban mining and prospecting in forest reserves, farms and rivers
- It has warned that if the government does not heed their demands, they will embark on a strike
- According to UTAG, the galamsey situation is dire, and the government must immediately address the crisis before it destroys the country
The University Teachers Association of Ghana (UTAG) has threatened a nationwide strike if the government does not ban mining and mineral prospecting in forest reserves, farms, and rivers.
Their threat follows increased attention on the devastation caused by the illegal mining menace following a report from the Ghana Water Company Limited stating that certain urban centres would have erratic water supply due to the pollution of their water sources.
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According to UTAG, the situation is dire, and the government must immediately address the crisis before it destroys the country.
In a press statement issued on Monday, September 9, UTAG said the government’s attempts to combat illegal mining have failed to produce the desired outcome and have urged it to do more to combat the menace.
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In an interview on Happy FM, the UTAG president at the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST) said if the situation is not addressed immediately, the country may have to import water in the next six years.
Professor Eric Abavare said the country’s rivers and forests may also not recover from the devastation and pollution wrought upon them by the illegal miners.
He said the UTAG’s position on the galamsey situation is unwavering, and if the government does not heed their demands, the association will embark on an industrial action to force its hand.
Meanwhile, Professor Abavare has expressed disappointment in the NPP and NDC's failure to address the menace effectively.
He urged Ghanaians to unite and take collective action against the menace.
Kumchacha invokes curses on galamsey kingpins
Ghanaian preacher Nicholas Osei, popularly known as Kumchacha, has invoked curses on chiefs, ministers, MPs, and other government officials who are involved in illegal mining, otherwise known as galamsey.
In an online video, Kumchacha did not mince words as he decried the environmental destruction caused by galamsey activities.
He indicated that the country's lands and water bodies are being polluted as a result of the activities of unscrupulous illegal miners he claimed had the backing of some traditional leaders and government officials.
NAPO dismisses radical approach to galamsey
YEN.com.gh reported that the New Patriotic Party (NPP) running mate, Dr Matthew Opoku Prempeh, had dismissed calls for the shooting and killing of people engaged in illegal mining.
In a video that went viral, NAPO said the opposition National Democratic Congress is being hypocritical about their stance on the galamsey menace.
He said their support for a shoot-and-kill tactic to end galamsey is inhumane and inappropriate and runs contrary to earlier promises they made to mining communities to free galamsey miners who the ruling government had arrested.
Proofread by Berlinda Entsie, journalist and copy editor at YEN.com.gh
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Source: YEN.com.gh
