Environment Pollution and Climate Change
Open Access

Ghana; Community mining; Gold mining

Introduction

The Government of Ghana has expanded the community gold mining scheme in some areas in Ghana where the lands are mainly meant for gold minerals The Ahafo Ano south west district in the Ashanti region of its town called Barnierkrom has been excited as of the Aahfo Ano south west gold mines under the Ghana government introduced new minerals policies. The environmental area of Banierkroom for the community mines is being assessed by the environmental impact assessment E I A. The scheme covers 500 acres of land. The scheme covers the development of barnierkrom and its surrounding towns. It engaged in small mining business in the Ahafo Ano south west district of Ghana. The process is being made to undertake state lances from mineral resources department before being operates. The experts from the mines universities be regularly attend at the community mining sites for well activities done at the community mining sites without any damages of the water pollution or forest damages etc. This will have lain down to ensure proper activities done. The community mining scheme set up in practice to replace the illegal mining operation from the Ahafo Ano south west district in the Ashanti region. The community scheme mining designed to replace illegal mining practices and therefore to protect the environment. It creates employment for the people of Barnierkrom and its surroundings. The community mining has been a responsible for sustainable mining for Ahafo Ano South West District. The community mining has enrolled 367 beneficiaries for living. The Ahafo Ano south west has five hundred (500) arches of lands and had been demarcated into concessions and also receiving technical support from Newmont gold mines, Kunsu gold mines, obuasi anglo gold mines etc. for more improvement of the Environmental Impact Assessment. The Barnierkrom community mines have safety precautions and comprehensive insurance for both present and future. In each year, the Ahafo Ano South West District organize one week workshops for Barnierkrom community scheme mining projects for workers to improve the environment. The gold production increases enable government to expand developments efficiently at Barnierkrom for developments The environmental impact assessment set out parameters required for programmed on the environment and human settlements from disaster. The community mining scheme analyses and coordinates all planned programmed in the environment sector of the economy for achieving single integrated management system. The community mining scheme ensures policy regulatory framework and standards to govern activities of the environmental management and sustainable development. The community mining schemes ensures technical support and implementations of policies, programs and projects and the necessary legislative reforms to ensure effective environmental governance and natural resources management to enforce national development. The barnierkrom community scheme mining was designed and opened by the Ghana government in 2022 year at various Districts of where gold minerals available and barnirkrom near kunsu in the mankranso district of Ahafo Ano south west were inaugurated [1-5].

In mining communities there have been in three sectors as families of gaining their incomes from the mines are the occupational communities. The residential communities are those who have within the geographical area affected by mining and can have been in the existence before developed as mining operations. The indigenous communities are the households who hold the allodia lands to where mining operations occurs.

The activities of mine operations are also the back bone of Ghana substances rural economy and consequently providing hundreds of thousand jobs as farmers, youths and nomads etc. [6].

The Ghana three giants mining companies as AngloGold at boas in the Ashanti region, Newmont gold mines, Ghana goldfields every year contributed 30 percent of the Ghana total exports [7,8].

Methodology

From the research methodology so far, the people of barnierkrom has various methods of mining for gold but the main methods are the use of indigenous traditional methods as digging with shovels, pickaxes etc. After digging the holes, then the soils are being taken from the holes with buckets or pans with long rope whilst one or two persons down the holes with shovels pick the sands into the buckets full and some people at the top holding the rope and lifting it up end to deposits the sands at one place in heap. Whilst the whole sands finished from the holes, then they also to be out of the holes to join those at the top for working together for the gold minerals. At this stage, chemicals for gold minerals are being poured on the sands to separates gold from the sand before being taken them out for another process [ 9].

Another method is that, some people also uses caterpillars to dig the holes in a large survey due to the land acquired and more people working at gold minerals sites. The community mining scheme with policies affect the work of the Banierkrom community mines for effective environmental polices achieved.

The mining sites also follow the instructions from the opinion leaders in Barnierkrom that some days as Tuesdays no one must be at the mining sites and therefore the traditional lands should be on enough rest and developed for another time. On Tuesdays, a whole activity being captured at the Barnierkrom town ship as clean up exercise, entertainments, games etc. at Barnierkrom with crowds. The distance from human settlements to the Barnierkrom community mining is almost three miles which the noise or dust pollutions may not be hazards to the community at large [10-15].

Result and Discussion

The community mining of barneirkrom has resulted a good sources of aesthetic environment for its protection from environmental impact assessment rules and regulations for protection of rivers, forest, land degradation, etc The Barnierkrom community mining is at the back site of the Barnierkrom with five miles intervals from the community. Along the roads leading to the site of the community mining at Barnierkrom the dust road roads, foot paths streams from cocoa farmings, and other food crops farmings etc. It has being a responsible source of work especially for the youths.

Due to mining activities at Barnierkrom, it has attracted more surrounding towns people to Barnierkrom and also as entertainment centres as dancing, drinking bars, more food vendors, trading, community sports as weekends etc Aside community mining activities at Barnierkrom, the district assembly of Ahafo Ano South West of its capital mankranso also gained more revenue increases for Ghana government development projects as schools, good drinking water, good housing, hospitals etc.

The Barnierkrom community mining with its more population attracts slums practices and also to increase public health as tuberclusis through coughing and breathing with number of more people living in a room. The more people at Barnierkrom that increases high rate of sanitation of unaesthetic beauty of the environment and therefore of te=Tuesdays whilst traditional culture pertain to be at home and then to use some part of the time as general clean up exercise for aesthetic environment.

Conclusion

The community mining has served as sources of employment for living. It has increase speed projects done by the Ghana government under the Ahafo Ano South West District of its capital mankranso town. The environmental impact assessment rules and regulations has been laid down at the community mining sites to improve upon the aesthetic of the natural resources for future atmospheric environment and land degradation of its protection.

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