Photo credit: Israel Derrick Apeti
The water in Ghana’s Pra River is so polluted by illegal gold mining that one artist was able to paint with it to express the environmental destruction caused by greedy industries.
What’s happening?
Like the BBC reportedmining companies have used mercury to extract gold in the forests and farms of Ghana, which is a ecological disaster in the West African state. The damage has been so extensive that the non-profit organization WaterAid called it ‘ecocide’.
When local artist Israel Derrick Apeti, also known as Enil Art, traveled to the Pra River, he and his friend were shocked by the condition of the water.
“I could actually paint with water,” Apeti discovered, per the BBC. “It was so bad.”
Unfortunately, one study found that the Pra River basin is one of the waterways most affected illegal mining activitiesalso called “galamsey” by the locals. However, the destruction includes thousands of sites, including some forests where cocoa is produced.
Climate activists expressed their disapproval of mining by protesting in the streets and posting about it on social media, calling on the government to ban illegal mining. Accra police initially arrested some activists but later released them to avoid conflict.
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As for Apeti, he decided to use his art skills to raise awareness about the environmental crisis.
Why is the polluted river important?
The fact that the entire river has become gold through mining is worrying, especially because there are communities living near the river would say the water was “once so clean that you could see the fish and crocodiles that lived in it,” Apeti told the BBC.
Forests across Ghana are also suffering at the hands of businessmen who make money from climate change gold rush. John Allotey, the head of the Ghana Forestry Commission, told Africa News reported that an estimated 10,500 hectares of land had been destroyed in seven of the country’s 16 regions, along with 34 of 288 forest reserves.
Moreover, the mercury that ends up in the Pra River could persist for a thousand years, as Dr. George Manful, a former official of the Ghana Environmental Protection Agency, told the BBC. The mercury can then contaminate fish and crops, posing a risk to human health.
“We are slowly poisoning ourselves,” says Dr. Manful said.
What is being done about mining pollution?
Several major music stars in Ghana have drawn attention to the river on social media and WaterAid has called on the government to take action. If nothing is done about it stop illegal miningThe state water company said Ghana may have to start importing water as early as 2030, according to the BBC.
The BBC too reported According to the Ghanaian government, 76 people – including 18 foreigners – have been found guilty of illegal mining since 2021, and 850 others have been prosecuted.
Ghanaian President Nana Akufo-Addo also sent navy boats to the river crackdown on mining activities, but some officials believed this would not be strictly enforced, the BBC said.
While we may not be able to stop pollution in the Pra River, we can make a difference in our daily lives by supporting environmentally friendly companies And educate ourselves about important environmental issues.
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