The Environmental Protection Authority (EPA) has warned residents in communities affected by illegal mining to avoid drinking or using water from polluted rivers and streams, cautioning that boiling such water does not make it safe for consumption. According to the Authority, water bodies contaminated by illegal mining activities may contain dangerous chemicals, including mercury, cyanide and arsenic, which cannot be removed through boiling.
“The notion that boiled galamsey-contaminated water is safe for drinking and other domestic activities is false. While boiling kills bacteria, it does not remove harmful chemicals such as mercury and cyanide,” the EPA stated. An official at the EPA’s Twifo Praso office, David Agyekum Baidoo, disclosed that residents of several villages and hamlets in illegal mining communities continued to rely on polluted water sources due to the lack of access to pipe-borne water.
Speaking to the Ghana News Agency, he cautioned that the practice posed significant health risks, particularly for individuals who drink, bathe in or use contaminated water for agricultural activities and livestock rearing. He explained that prolonged exposure to chemicals released through illegal mining could lead to serious health complications, including kidney damage, neurological disorders and birth defects.
Baidoo therefore urged residents of affected communities to seek treated water and other safe alternative sources for their domestic needs, rather than assume that boiling contaminated river water would make it safe for use.
He also encouraged residents to support the fight against illegal mining by reporting perpetrators to the security agencies, noting that prompt reporting could help prevent further pollution and protect water bodies that serve as essential sources for drinking, farming and fishing.
