By Edzorna Francis Mensah
At the ongoing public hearing of the Public Accounts Committee (PAC), chaired by James Klutse Abedzi in Parliament, the Chief Executive Officer of the Ghana Cocoa Board (COCOBOD), Joseph Boahen Aidoo, has disclosed that illegal mining is affecting farmlands, putting everyone in Ghana at risk.
According to him, if illegal mining popularly known as galamsey continues, most of the important rivers in the country, such as the River Ankobra, River Pra, and River Offin, will disappear.
He emphasised that these rivers are currently choked with silt, impeding the turbidity of the water.
The COCOBOD CEO was of the view that everyone, including the MPs, is at risk, stressing that even though illegal mining is not done in Accra, the miners are using dangerous chemicals such as Mercury and that could affect the water or fish being used in Accra.
He said, “Mr. Chairman 50 years from now, Ghana could be importing water if the illegal mining continues.” He noted, and revealed how sad he is about the way the illegal miners are taking over the farmlands, which is affecting cocoa production.
He noted that some farmers have to transport clean water from their houses to water their crops on their farms because all the River bodies have been polluted.
Mr. Aidoo made these revelations when he led a team from the COCOBOD to respond to infractions cited against them in the 2020 Auditor General’s Report.
The team could not explain why the Cocoa Clinic does accept and offer services to people with NHIS cards.
The CEO, however, pleaded with the Chairman of the Committee to afford the team more time to get more information on the query and make it available to the Committee.
Some other Ministries that appeared before the Committee, include the Ministry of Finance, the Ministry of the Interior, and the Ministry of Food and Agriculture.