WACAM calls on Minerals Commission to take action on mining companies breaching laws – Skyy Power FM

The Wassa Association of Communities Affected by Mining (WACAM) is saying that most mining companies in Ghana are breaching the mining laws and there is a need for such issues to be addressed critically by the Minerals Commissions.

Lawyer Kwaku Afari speaking to Skyy News on the sidelines of the Western Regional Development Forum said some mining companies and their mining areas are in very close proximity with the host communities.

He said per the law, the distance between an active mining area and the host communities should be about a 500-metre radius but since some of these communities are close to mining areas, they are impacted by the mining activities such as blasting, noise pollution and the issues of dust.

“Some communities are very close to these mining activities and for that reason, they are impacted, by the issue of blasting, dust, and houses being cracked and there is a need for this issue to be addressed critically by the Minerals Commission that mining companies respect the law,” he said.

Lawyer Kwaku Afari said before mining companies establish in host communities, the people must demand every bit of information from these companies to make informed decisions, make inquiries from the minerals commission and be aware of how their activities will affect them.

He said, “The communities should also make inquiries from the companies themselves, the minerals commission on how their activities can affect them or they can employ their own experts to do that.”

He said mining companies should not be given the right to mine, and dump their waste in water bodies. Also, the Minerals Commission must increase the penalty associated with breaching mining laws as it is punitive enough.

“Obviously mining related activities can have an impact on our water bodies, section 108, the general penalty is $5000 for anyone who goes foul to the dictate of the Minerals and mining act, Act 703, 2006, that is the general provision, and for that, we are saying that it is not punitive enough and must be tightened.”