AKYEMPIM RESIDENTS WORRIED ABOUT MINING ACTIVITIES (PAGE 40)

THE chiefs, opinion leaders, unit committee members and the youth of Subriso and Ningo in the Mporhor Wassa East District of the Western Region have petitioned against the activities of Golden Star (Wassa Mines) Limited, a mining company operating in the district.
The petition signed by the chiefs of Ningo and Subriso, Nana Ben Teye and Nana Ofosu Appiah, respectively as well as the Unit Committee Chairman of Ningo, Mr Jonathan Tetteh and Unit Committee Chairman of Subriso, Mr Amos Asare, was addressed to the management of the company.
The people complained that the drinking water in the communities had been polluted, while dust emissions were so much that all their belongings had turned into red powder.
According to the petition, noise made by the company’s moving machinery and vehicles was so disturbing that one could hardly have rest during the day or at night, while blasting was so close to buildings that many of them had developed cracks and would soon collapse.
“The haul road constructed at the village is so close that the residents, especially children were at a great risk crossing. It is 30 metres or less to the houses and that the schoolchildren cross the road without guide or aid”, the petition said.
It said a new C-Zone pit dug by the company is about 100 metres away from the Ningo village, adding that compensation paid to farmers whose farms had been paid by the company is woefully inadequate.
The petition further complained that the youth in the mining communities were not considered anytime there were employment opportunities.
“We, therefore, send this notice on behalf of the people and ask that something better would be planned for us. Relocation will be the best option anyway, but we do not need hen coop type of buildings”, the petition warned.
Meanwhile, the management of Golden Star (Wassa Mines) Limited has put up comprehensive measures to mitigate the negative impact its operations would have on the people in the Subriso and Ningo communities.
The company has, however, rendered sincere apology to the two communities in the mines’ catchment area for any inconvenience its operations might have caused the people.
Responding to the concerns of the communities raised in the petition, the General Manager of Golden Star (Wassa Mines) Limited, Mr Michael Mracek said the company would want to improve the water quality that the villages had relied on and that it had piped water into villages from a borehole it had drilled.
He said a tank was being constructed at Ningo so that the people could have constant water supply before the end of this month.
Mr Mracet said he had asked a team to look at drilling a second well that would further enhance the water supply system in the communities.
Touching on dust emission, Mr Mracek conceded that the company had a problem with dust control in certain periods of the day on various parts of the haul road.
He, however, stated that it was a mystery as to how dust emission could affect the people at Subriso which was far away from the haul road.
He explained that in the case of Ningo, the company had constructed a new road that by-passed the village completely and that safety and comfort were much enhanced by the construction of the new road.
“Nevertheless we intend to do our best to mitigate any problems with dust”, he said, adding that the company would improve the situation with the addition of a new water truck.
“Currently, we have started a trial with a chemical based dust suppressant in the Odumase area. If it is successful, we would suggest that we use it on the haulage road in the vicinity of your village”, Mr Mracek said.
He said the mining company was also in contact with the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) which had developed a local lime based product that could be applied to roads to reduce dust, adding that the company would investigate if it was a practical solution.
The general manager said the company had a 24-hour noise monitoring programme conducted monthly, saying “We will increase the frequency of this programme to improve on our data collection”.
Mr Mracek also said waste dumping at the Subriso East dump would be scheduled to minimise noise impact, especially at night.
He said an assessment team had been put together to conduct an investigation into any alleged cracking of buildings as a result of blasting.
The assessment, Mr Mracek explained, would be compared to a baseline study conducted before the company initiated blasting and that any identified affected structures would be repaired at the company’s expense.
“We are also concerned about people using the haul road for access”, he said adding “It is, however a public road and this presents us with some restrictions”.
Mr Mracek said the company would raise the road and build a three-metre high walkway under it so that could provide easy access from one side to the other.
Touching on the payment of compensation, he said Golden Star’s rates were higher than the approved government rates and also compared favourably to other mining companies.
“Our records indicate that the open pit at Benso has created 498 jobs directly and 132 of those jobs are currently being held by local employees, representing 37.7 per cent of the total work force coming from the local communities”, Mr Mracek explained.
He emphasised that the company needed not only a mining license to operate, but also a social license as well to work peacefully.
“Our Community Relations and Environmental Department will continue to work in consultation with you to monitor the impact of our operations in your communities and recommend appropriate mitigation measures”, he said.