changes from outside the industry may also naturally reduce mining’s carbon footprint International Journal of Soil, Sediment and Water 3(2): 13. Mining: Environmental Impacts Mining can pollute air and drinking water, harm wildlife and habitat, and permanently scar natural landscapes. Since the mining industry is still expanding, comprehensive information on the effects of mining activities on the environment is needed. Equipment A study conducted by [35] to assess the impact of small-scale mining on land in the Western part of Ghana revealed that mining removes vegetation and topsoil, and often results in inevitable loss of farmland permanently. Environmental policies and their enforcement are actions taken to manage human activities with a view to preventing, reducing, or mitigating harmful effects on nature and natural resources. The paper mainly focused on the mining activities in Prestea in the western region of the country. Pit mining, one of the most common It’s often not suitable for plant or animal life. may move in the direction of sustainability — especially as pressure from on the environment overall. A study by [9] on the assessment of legal framework for corporate environmental behaviour and perceptions of residents in mining communities in Ghana found a number of weaknesses in the mineral and mining environmental policies. Journal of International Development 23(8): 1100-1114. have much less environmental impact. Oxford/IBH Publications, UK, 17-24. However, the main minerals produced by large-scale companies are gold, diamond, bauxite and manganese; while industrial minerals such as kaolin, limestone and silica sand are mainly produced by small-scale operators. Mining has significant benefits to the mining communities in Ghana as it contributes to their economic growth and development. In: Soil Resources Management towards Sustainable Agriculture in Ghana: The Role of the Soil Scientist: Proceedings of the 13th Annual General Meeting of the Soil Science Society of Ghana. [12] pointed out that Mercury is used extensively in the process of mining as it is added to the refined concentrate to form a gold amalgam, which is then heated to separate the gold. Format). The data Table 2 gives the breakdown of minerals revenue by major mineral types in millions of US Dollars. Armah FA, Obiri S, Yawson DO, Afrifa KA, Yengoh GT, Olsson JA (2011) Assessment of legal framework for corporate environmental behaviour and perceptions of residents in mining communities in Ghana. Water, Air, & Soil Pollution 175(1): 181-192. The communities in these mining areas therefore spend huge sums of money to access, treat, and store groundwater for their domestic and other uses. Mining comes with significant baggage, starting with environmental degradation and pollution. This will go hand in hand with effective community participation in the articulation of these requirements. Fortunately, there is some hope that mining will become more sustainable in the future. There is a great opportunity to improve and enhance the cumbersome and lengthy processes in registering small-scale mines. The government and private Ghanaian investors account for less than 15% of the shares in the mines [3]. Harwood MR, Hacker JB, Mott JJ (1999) Field evaluation of seven grasses for use in the revegetation of lands disturbed by coal mining in Central Queensland. without it, mining sites can’t truly recover. Moreover, [30] discovered that between 1994 and 2001, five major cyanide spillages and leakages occurred resulting in contaminating some major rivers in Ghana. The Food and Agriculture Organization estimated that between 1990 and 2005, gold mining activities in Ghana contributed significantly to land degradation and loss of cultivable land, resulting in a massive loss of forest cover (26%) and arable lands (15-20%) at the Tarkwa, Ayanfuri, Dunkwa, Esaase and Bogoso mining areas in Ghana [13]. This can shift buildings, destroy infrastructure and harm the surface environment. Mined pits left unfilled renders land unsuitable for any other purpose and become repositories for water resulting in breeding grounds for malaria-infected mosquitoes that pose significant threat to both humans and animals [1, 11, 28, 33]. Environmental Impact of Mining and Mineral Processing: Management, Monitoring, and Auditing Strategies covers all the aspects related to mining and the environment, including environmental assessment at the early planning stages, environmental management during mine operation, and the identification of major impacts. As previously mentioned, coal mining and processing is responsible for contributing a significant amount of pollution to the environment. Table 1 presents historically, the contribution of the mining sector to government revenue, value added and employment in Ghana. The three main large scale mining companies in this area are Golden Star Resources, Prestea Sankofa Gold Limited and African Explosive Limited. Impacts can result in erosion, loss of biodiversity, or the contamination of soil, groundwater, and surface water by the chemicals emitted from mining processes. This results in destruction of landscape in the area. Communities such as Bondaye, Himan, Ankobra, Asoampa, Bola Ekyir, Ash Town, Nankaba, Dagaatse Compound and Anfegya were selected for the survey. Before 1989, small-scale mining was considered illegal in Ghana and was highly unregulated. Hardrock mining exposes rock that has lain unexposed for geological eras. This has culminated in the destruction of the luxuriant vegetation, biodiversity, cultural sites and water bodies. International Journal of Biodiversity and Conservation 7(2): 57–80. The sector, particularly the large scale mining, has also employed a sizable number of workers. Resources Policy 27(2): 61-75. example, disturbed soil will often continue to erode away for a long time into stopped operations, packed up its equipment and moved on. rehabilitated, biodiversity will typically be lower than it was before. The Chamber of Mines is an association of mining companies and has the responsibility of addressing immediate concerns of all stakeholders within its jurisdiction [11, 24, 25]. Concerning impacts on the ecosystem, the study found out that greater proportion of the land area have been rendered bare due to mining activities. De-vegetation and defacing of lands: Mining requires removal of vegetation along with underlying soil mantle and overlying rock masses. Another similar study by [12] found lower and reduced content of soil nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P) when compared to the natural forest, due to the same reason of ecosystem disruption, removal of vegetation and loss of litter layer during mineral mining. Primary data was gathered through key tools such as participant observation using an observation guide, in-depth interviews using a checklist of questions, and environmental assessments of various mining sites in Prestea. Open-pit mining, one of the most common forms, is one of the most damaging. [11] add that productive arable lands have been left bare without any form of protection thereby increasing the runoff and causing turbidity (Plate 7). the land, but also aim to reintroduce 100% of the species that were living there before operations The tailings dam, plant site and feed stockpile of Ghana Australia Goldfields Ltd. alone will affect a total of about 315 farmers currently cultivating around the area. PNDC Laws 153 and 154. Low entry barriers for mining companies, ineffective community participation and improper research methods are other weaknesses to environmentally sustainable mining in the region, in addition to weak legislative and institutional frameworks. techniques, hollows out land to extract raw materials. It contributes more than 90% of the total value of minerals in the country and has attracted the largest number of large and small-scale operators [2, 3, 18]. into the Columbia River. Similar findings were also obtained by [39], who in their study, found high levels of arsenic contamination in drinking water from streams, shallow wells and boreholes in Obuasi, in the Ashanti region of Ghana, ranging from 2 to 175µgl-1. side-effects can last after the initial mining operations have ended. They indicated that the cyanide spillage affected Dumasi and other towns, including Goloto, Juaben and Egyabroni and that some residents of Dumasi and other villages in this area picked up and ate dead fish, crabs, shrimps and other aquatic organisms that were found floating on the surface of the river. The mining sector in Ghana consists of both small-scale and large-scale mining, each of which has varying environmental impacts. The soil is deep, open and acidic in many places due to heavy leaching of base from the top soil because of high rainfall, humidity and temperatures. It administers the Mining Act, making mineral policy recommendations, promoting mineral developments in the country and advising government on mineral related issues. increased acidity and heavy metal contamination that can destroy wildlife and What’s The Ministry of Lands and Natural Resources is responsible for all aspects of mineral resource exploration in Ghana. Agyapong E (1998) Streamlining artisanal gold mining activities and the promotion of cleaner production in the mining sector in sub Saharan Africa: Ghana as a case study. Surface mining which is the dominant method has rendered vast lands surrounding the mining communities bare. There is no doubt that natural resources such as gold, diamond, bauxite, and crude oil deposits can contribute significantly to economic growth and development, of which Ghana is no exception [4, 19, 40, 42]. Since mining here uses heavy machinery and involves blasting during the mineral’s extraction, important soil organisms have been destroyed, stable soil aggregates disrupted, and eventually depriving the soil of organic matter. the use of biosolids — nutrient-rich organics derived from sewage Prestea is located at 5.43274 latitude and 2.14284 longitudes at an elevation/altitude of meters. Small-scale mining (Plate 1a) usually requires less capital investment and mostly undertaken by small artisans; while foreigners are the main actors of the large-scale mining sector in Ghana. Akabzaa T, Darimani A (2001) Impact of mining sector investment in Ghana: A study of the Tarkwa mining region. Some forms of mining also require the Furthermore, huge patches of forest have been cleared in certain areas to establish resting grounds for miners (Plate 10). Amponsah-Tawiah K, Dartey-Baah K (2011) The mining industry in Ghana: a blessing or a curse. Poultry (chicken - 66.4%) is the dominant animal reared in the District [20]. It has commonly been noted that low pH is a characteristic of all gold mined substrates in Ghana [32]. Consequently, new minerals and mining laws were enacted and the Ghana Environmental Protection Agency and Minerals Commission were instituted to provide guidelines and regulatory framework for this sector. Bonsu M, Quansah C (1992) The Importance of Soil Conservation for Agriculture and Economic Development of Ghana. This was attributed to two factors: mine pollution and natural oxidation of sulphide minerals predominantly arsenopyrite (FeS2). The long tradition in the extractive sector has enabled Ghana to build an institutional framework and organizations to support the mining industry. In Prestea, one of the mining communities in Ghana, increased mining activities have resulted in disproportionate contamination of major water bodies leading to loss of aquatic organisms, destruction of the biodiversity, removal of vegetation, depletion of soil resources and loss of farmland. These contribute to adverse environmental impacts, both ecologically and economically to the region. It’s a red dirt and clay mixture commonly found in Australia, Brazil, and India. This has made the land susceptible to increased erosion and loss of viability for any agricultural purposes, among others. Furthermore, stockpiling of top soil in mounds, which is a very common phenomenon during mineral extraction has been shown to affect the biological, chemical and physical properties of the soil. Regulatory Framework Study to Assist Small Scale Miners. He indicated that cyanide spills and leakages by mining companies such as Teberebie Goldfields Ltd and Ashanti Goldfield Company Ltd (now AngloGold Ashanti) resulted in polluting the Anikoko, Angonabe, Bodwire and Assaman rivers, all in the western region of Ghana. It lies about 50 km north of the Coast of the Atlantic Ocean and on the west bank of the Ankobra River, about 60 mi (100 km) northwest of Cape Coast. Also, the removal of the topsoil which destroys important soil organisms and disrupts stable soil aggregates and organic matter have been other significant threats to the productive use of the land. Ore dust and gases released by the For instance, a study by [37] in Prestea, found high levels of arsenic and antimony concentrations in the rivers ranging from 0.90 – 8.25 ppm and 0.09 – 0.75 ppm respectively, far exceeding the World Health Organizations recommended values of 0.01 and 0.005 ppm respectively. meaning that mining can lead to effects on the soil beyond the site. Plastic They further estimated that at the close of mining, a company would use 40 – 60% of its total concession space for activities such as siting of mines, heap leach facilities, tailings dump and open pits, mine camps, roads, and resettlement for displaced communities, which, according to the authors has significant adverse impact on the land and vegetation, which are the main sources of livelihood for the local people. © 2021 Get Green Now. Iddirisu AY, Tsikata FS (1998) Iddirisu, Mining Sector Development and Environment Project. Moreover, the mining process scrapes the topsoil with bulldozers and other heavy machinery and the soils are taken to the laboratory for the purpose of extracting mineral [32]. The Underground mines can also cause subsidence on the surface — the land above begins to sink, usually when underground supports fail in abandoned or inactive mines. produces. In addition, three new mining laws were implemented after the legalization of small-scale mining. waterways, meaning the site will likely require further rehabilitation. The average elevation of Prestea is 59 meters. Diamonds are mined from alluvial sources mainly from the Birim Diamond field at Akwatia and the Bonsa diamond field in the Eastern and Western regions respectively. could easily help the industry reduce the amount of carbon dioxide it naturally Impacts can result in erosion, sinkholes, loss of biodiversity, or the contamination of soil, groundwater, and surface water by the chemicals emitted from mining processes. Extreme examples of pollution from mining activities include coal fires, which … According to [3], the land has lost viability for agricultural purposes, as well as loss of habitat for birds and other animals, in addition to erosion. Results from the field … Mining also creates knock-on effects — like Widespread adoption of electric engines Impacts of strip mining: Strip mining destroys landscapes, forests and wildlife habitats at the site of the mine when trees, plants, and topsoil are cleared from the mining area. Interviews with some residents in Prestea during the field survey revealed that they are spending huge sums of money to access and treat groundwater (Plate 5) for their domestic use such as drinking, cooking, washing and bathing. One of the strongest arguments against offshore mining is that the environmental risks are too high, given that deep-sea ecosystems are among the most undiscovered places on Earth. Obuasi, one of the major mining towns in Ghana, has been described as a ‘hanging town’. Over millions of years, the peat is […] If miners need to dig through Albert K. Mensah, Ishmail O. Mahiri, Obed Owusu, Okoree D. Mireku, Ishmael Wireko, Evans A. Kissi, Albert K. Mensah1,, Ishmail O. Mahiri1, Obed Owusu2, Okoree D. Mireku3, Ishmael Wireko4, Evans A. Kissi5, 1Department of Geography, Kenyatta University, Nairobi, Kenya, 2Department of Economics, Dalhousie University, 6214 University Avenue, Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada, 3Department of Geography and Regional Planning, University of Cape Coast, Cape Coast, Ghana, 4Johnson-Shoyama Graduate School of Public Policy, University of Saskatchewan, 101 Defeinbaker Place, Saskatoon, Canada, 5Department of Agricultural Economics and Rural Development, Georg-August-University of Gottingen, Germany. process can easily make their way into local water systems, leading to Experimental Agric 39(3): 307-316. Gold, however, is by far the most important mineral currently being exploited in Ghana. In some cases, additional forest logging is done in the vicinity of mines to create space for the storage of the created debris and soil. The paper concluded that major rivers in the region have been heavily polluted, especially by illegal small-scale mining; land in areas surrounding mines has been rendered bare and susceptible to increased erosion and loss of viability for agricultural purposes, among other uses; increased clearing of vegetation for mining areas has adversely altered the hydrological regimes and/or patterns in the western region of Ghana; important soil organisms have been destroyed and stable soil aggregates disrupted and eventually depriving the soil of organic matter and low levels of macronutrients and soil fertility necessary for plant growth and crop production. The key organizations include the Ministry of Mines and Energy, the Minerals Commission, the Geological Survey Department, the Chamber of Mines, the Mines Department, the Environmental Protection Agency, Lands Commission, Land Valuation Board and the Forestry Commission. Int J Bus Soc Sci 2(12): 62-69. This As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. This paper provides an exposition on the environmental impacts of mining activities in Ghana. The destruction or drastic modification of the pre-mined landscape can have a catastrophic impact on the biodiversity of that area. Major socio-economic or livelihood activities in the area include farming, petty trading, teaching and gold mining (large scale and small scale). [36] also added that the consequences of physical disturbance to the topsoil during stripping, stockpiling and reinstatement, cause unusually large nitrogen transformations and movements with eventually substantial loss of soil fertility and productivity. Nevertheless, the magnitude of damage caused largely depends on the mining method being used [11]. The company just destroyed the farms and the water bodies around here. Mining procedures generally require a larger and vast area of land. Even though there has been poor management of mercury in the process of extraction, but extensive use of the chemical in mining is necessary since it is added to the refined concentrate to form a gold amalgam, which is then heated to separate the gold. [23] argued that regardless of the overburden type used, plant available N and P tend to be low on mined soils, which may limit tree growth. Armah FA, Luginaah IN, Taabazuing J, Odoi JO (2013) Artisanal gold mining and surface water pollution in Ghana: have the foreign invaders come to stay?. He had this to say: “When the surface mining came in…they brought in with this public hearing. Plate 11 shows mined soil stockpiled in one of the mining sites in Prestea. created as a result of diesel-burning engines. Low entry barriers; improper research methods; lack of coordination among regulatory bodies; poor mercury management; inadequate personnel and resources [25, 34]; inadequate research; ineffective community participation; cumbersome and lengthy processes in registering small-scale mines; and lack of environmental education and awareness creation have been found as contributory factors to the persistent environmental devastation caused by mining in Ghana. Despite all these policies and institutions, environmental degradation in most of mining communities in Ghana is still of a major threat and concern. toxic waste materials from leaching into the river, but the wall isn’t a Due to its strategic importance for the socio-economic development of the country, the mining sector was one of the priority areas of the country’s Economic Recovery Program in 1983 [4, 10, 16, 19, 22]. When crushed, these rocks expose radioactive elements, asbestos-like minerals, and metallic dust. devastating — causing water acidification, soil erosion and the degradation of Possibly one of the scariest environmental effects of coal mining is the threat of acid … Ore even more ambitious rehabilitation plans are focused on the best possible Currently, there are about seventeen (17) large-scale mining companies and three hundred (300) registered small-scale mining groups involved in mining exploration in Ghana. The private informal sector is the largest employer in the District, employing 89.1 percent of the population followed by the private formal with 7.5 percent [20]. draining of underground water reservoirs called aquifers, which can cause United Nations Conference on Environment and Development (1992) Rio de Janerio, Brazil, 3 to 14 June 1992. even low-impact mining techniques like in-situ mining aren’t consequence-free. The impact of mining on the Environment in Gwanda District Zimbabwe: A case study of Blanket Mine 1Maligana Mathe and 2Anthony Phiri 1,2 Zimbabwe Open … This will create the necessary balance between development/economic growth and mandatory environmental exigencies for community livelihoods. Copper mining was extensive in the Keweenaw. Australia J. of environmental and social governance (ESG). -Mined using strip mining -soil is sent to factories where they take out the ore.-Ti found in rutile and ilmenite-extracted using electrolytic deoxidation process-heated to 1,652°F (900°C) and the subsequent chemical reaction results in the creation of impure titanium tetrachloride (TiCl4) eventually pollute waterways. Environmental hazards are present during every step of the open-pit mining process. bigger use in countries like China, which is trying to grapple with growing mineral It is also as a result of surface water pollution that the government had embarked on digging boreholes for some communities to access water for their domestic use. Previously, the process took only a month because the license acquisition process was localized. Environmental Impacts of Mining: A Study of Mining Communities in Ghana. In addition, the search for new mining sites is taking over the available land and thus reducing the size of suitable and usable land in the area. Mining operations describe either mines or any of various work functions that are performed in mines, from exploration to waste disposal. As part of the Economic Recovery Programme (ERP), however, the government attempted to modernize the sector and formalize it through the enactment of the Small Scale Gold Mining Law (PNDC Law 218). Acid Rain. upgrades could also reduce the impact mining has on the environment. Aryee BN, Ntibery BK, Atorkui E (2003) Trends in the small-scale mining of precious minerals in Ghana: a perspective on its environmental impact, Journal of Cleaner Production 11(2): 131-140. Often, the worst effects of mining activities are observed after the mining process has ceased. weeks. The land left behind, if not rehabilitated, is typically vulnerable to further soil erosion, further scattering what little topsoil was left over. The contents of this paper are a product of research done jointly and severally by the above authors. 2. [25] also adds that small-scale gold mining has been responsible for the removal of vast quantities of surface vegetation and mass deforestation in Ghana. AMBIO 40(5): 528-539. It formulates policies and grants licenses for mining and mineral exploration. This agrees with the findings by [25], who found in his study that approximately 5 tonnes of mercury emission is being released each year into various water bodies by small-scale mining artisans leading to siltation and coloration. Study prepared for the Minerals Commission. The erosion has resulted in the removal of soil nutrients, causing siltation, turbidity and eutrophication of the nearby rivers; thus leading to reduction of land productivity, reduced water quality, and reduced biodiversity, among others. Even though the law requires individuals to register with the Minerals Commission so they can be assigned specific areas to operate, the bureaucratic nature of the registration process renders many of them frustrated [24]. In 2014, it made up about 5% of all American mining operations — and has less of an impact on the surface. It is against this background that this paper assesses the environmental impacts of mining activities in mining communities in Ghana with particular reference to the current situation at Prestea. Expert leaders on ESG and industry professionals from within mining predict operations will begin to think more Surface mines (sometimes called strip mines) were the source of about 63% of the coal mined in the United States in 2018. Hinde C (2010) Ghana: A supplement to Mining Journal. Kumah A (2006) Sustainability and gold mining in the developing world. Prestea/Huni Valley District. In this form of coal e… Mining leads to a massive habitat loss for a diversity of flora and fauna ranging from soil microorganisms to large mammals. A random sampling technique was adopted for the selection of the communities and/or respondents for the interviews. The authors would like to express their profound gratitude to the two anonymous reviewers who made wonderful suggestions to shape this final work. Companies practicing mining of lithium in parts of Tibet, South America, Chile, and Bolivia are involved in rigorous extraction processes. Akabzaa T (2004) African mining codes, a race to the bottom. like Swedish mining equipment manufacturer Epiroc, even going so far as to The Obuasi mine of Ashanti Goldfields Corporation (AGC), which started in 1890, is by far the largest and oldest operation in the country. Learn how your comment data is processed. The study was carried out in the mining communities in Prestea, one of the small towns in the Prestea Huni-Valley District, Western Region of Ghana. cut off rivers and degrade local ecosystems. Draft National Mining Policy of Ghana (2010). Dealing with the inherent issues of environmental degradation in the face of mining activities is a delicate balanced one indeed. Large tracts of land in many areas such as Nankaba, Asoampa, Ashtown, Bondaye, Ankobra, Anfegya, among others, have lost their vegetation cover as a result of mineral mining. For instance, [12] reported that pH levels in soils in Prestea/Bogoso in the western region of Ghana are as low as 3.96. African Agenda 7(3): 62-63. For example, The findings from the study showed that mining activities, especially that resulting from illegal small-scale mining (popularly known as ‘galamsey’) deplete environmental resources such as water, soil, the landscape, vegetation, the ecosystem, among others. Ghana, formerly known as Gold Coast, is the second largest gold producer in Africa and the ninth in the world, contributing about 40% of the country’s gross foreign exchange earnings, an equivalent of about 5.7% of the country’s GDP. Map of the study area is given in Figure 1 below. Environmental Justice 6(3): 94-102. Amankwah, R., & Anim-Sackey, C. (2003). decades to come. However, this company has been on the divestiture list since 1993. eruption. Humidity varies from 75-80 percent in the wet season and 70-80 percent in the dry season [20]. Coal starts as peat, or sections of partially decomposed organic matter that accumulate on the earth’s surface. more, even though rehabilitation can prevent the effects of mining from getting mining techniques — like in-situ leaching, which uses acid and water If not properly managed, erosion of mineralized waste rock into surface drainages may lead to concentrations of metals in stream sediments. Such practices had also played a major role in altering the local hydrological patterns in Prestea. to remove minerals from a site without significantly disturbing the surface — (2015). This agency formulates and implements environmental policies and enforces compliance with environmental laws and regulations. Aryee BN (2001) Ghana's mining sector: its contribution to the national economy. Here are some general effects of mining on the environment, the impact of different mining methods, and ways in which the industry is trying to make itself more eco-friendly. Singh N, Koku JE, Balfors B (2007) Resolving water conflicts in mining areas of Ghana through public participation a communication perspective. These mining operations remove the soil and rock above coal deposits, or seams. They were the Small-Scale Gold Mining Law, the Mercury Law and the Precious Mineral Marketing Corporation Law. Its share of the nation’s diamond output has been dwindling, currently accounting for less than half of the total annual output [3]. releasing ore dust into the atmosphere. This law established the royalty and corporate tax rates in this industry; but was however amended in 1994 and 2005 as Ghana transitioned into a constitutional rule. sites. Impacts of Mining: Mining is done to extract minerals from deep deposits in soil. Authors would like to express their profound gratitude to the government and private Ghanaian investors account for less 15! 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