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Population Dynamics and Health Hazards of Small-Scale Mining Activity in the Bolgatanga and Talensi-Nabdam Districts of the Upper East Region of Ghana

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Population Dynamics and Health Hazards of Small-Scale Mining Activity in the Bolgatanga and Talensi-Nabdam Districts of the Upper East Region of Ghana 1113 Indian Journal of Science and Technology Vol. 3 No. 10 (Oct 2010) ISSN: 0974- 6846 Population dynamics and health hazards of small-scale mining activity in the Bolgatanga and Talensi-Nabdam districts of the upper east region of Ghana Isaac Agyemang Department of Environment and Resource Studies, University for Development Studies, P.O. Box TL 1350 Tamale, Ghana [email protected] Abstract Recently, there has been an upsurge of small-scale mining activity in the Bolgatanga and Talensi-Nabdam districts of the Upper East Region following the discovery of gold bearing rocks around the Nangodi and Pelungu areas of the districts. This study attempts to relate population size and health hazards in the study area to the activity of small-scale mining. Based on the findings from field work it was deduced that the prevailing increase in population size and spread of communicable diseases as documented in the Regional Bio statistics service are related directly and indirectly to the activities of the small-scale mining. Keywords: Small-Scale mining, population dynamics, Health hazards, Bolgatanga and Talensi Nabdam Introduction small-scale gold mining law in 1989. Under this law, the Small-scale mining is currently seen globally as a Mining and Mineral Commission was made responsible source of subsistence for the poor, especially developing for the registration and supervision of small-scale miners countries, and as a determinant of environmental in the country (Hilson, 2001). degradation and resource depletion in areas where such Gold was mined during the colonial days within the precious minerals are mined (Barry, 1996; United Nangodi environs of the Talensi-Nabdam district, about Nations, 1996). The term small-scale gold mining refers 24 km from Bolgatanga, but was abandoned in the late to all formal and informal, manual and mechanized 1930s for political reasons. With the recent legalization mining that uses crude methods to extract gold from relating to small-scale mining activities under the Mining secondary and primary ore bodies (Heemskerk, 2002). and Mineral law (PNDC 153) in the early 1989, and the The activity of small-scale gold mining in Ghana is redundancy of mining workers in major mining said to have preceded the advent of large-scale industrial corporations in the south, notably, Ashanti Goldfields in gold mining especially in the Ashanti and Western the Ashanti Region and Tarkwa Mines in the Western Regions where both surface and alluvial gold was Region (Blench, 2006), small-scale mining activities exploited using varying crude techniques and methods became rampant in most communities in the Talensi- (Agbesinyale, 1990). Ironically, with the emergence of Nabdam district especially at Nangodi, Duusi, Pelungu, large-scale contemporary commercial gold mining Sekoti, Datuku, and Sheaga, and more recently, at industries shooting in, mostly from European countries, Sherigu in the Bolgatanga Municipality. There is currently the activities of small-scale mining were banned and one legalized small-scale underground mining made illegal with mining concessions exclusively given to concession in the study area located at Duusi, with metropolitan companies by the then colonial original statutory concession size of 72 km² (PNDCL 153) Governments. This was an action in an attempt to make in the 1990 which has been encroached in recent times. cheap labour supply more accessible to the large Illegal small-scale surface mining sites are located at expatriate mining companies and simultaneously to Nangodi, Sekoti and Sherigu (Bolgatanga District ensure that the monopoly position of these large Assembly Report, 2002). metropolitan mining companies was firmly affixed Small-scale mining, mostly in the Talensi-Nabdam regarding the prospecting, exploration, mining and district is highly subdivided with a hierarchy of workers marketing of gold and other precious minerals with different labour relations based on a combination of (Agbesinyale, 1990; Hilson, 2001). Arguably, the people ethnicity, gender, migrant status and access to capital. who were previously engaged in small-scale mining were These include sponsors (financiers), buyers of gold (who ex-miners and laborers from the already established are also often sponsors), ghetto owners (pit owners), and large-scale mining. the different classes of workers-dynamiters, “loco boys” Small-scale mining of gold, which has traditionally (who transport the blasted ore from the pit to the surface, played an important role in the economy of Ghana, has “kaimen” (who pound the ore in the metal mortars with also received attention under the new liberalized mining metal pestles), and “shanking ladies” (who sift the environment. Under the minerals sector restructuring pounded rock with a scarf to separate powder from reforms, the government legalized small-scale mining chippings (Awumbila & Tsikata, 2004). Whereas activities through the enactment of PNDC Law 153 the sponsors, buyers, dynamiters and chisellers are migrants Edu. Sust. Devpt. “Health impact of mining in Ghana” Isaac Agyemang ©Indian Society for Education and Environment (iSee) http://www.indjst.org Indian J.Sci.Technol. 1114 Indian Journal of Science and Technology Vol. 3 No. 10 (Oct 2010) ISSN: 0974- 6846 from outside the study area, most of the workers at the Bolgatanga district into two administrative districts, lower scale (loco boys, kaimen and shanking ladies) tend namely Bolgatanga and Talensi-Nabdam with Bolgatanga to be locals. Among the categories of mine workers, the as the regional capital (Crawford, 2004). They are located shanking ladies who are women were the lowest in the on the north-eastern corridor of Ghana between longitude hierarchy of labour relations with the lowest returns. Thus 1°W and 0°E and 10°N and 11°N and cover an area of labour relations are linked to ethnic, migrant status and 1,509 km² or 16.7% of the 8,842 km² of the Upper East gender identity (Awumbila & Tsikata, 2004). Region of Ghana. The estimated population is 229,768 or The zeal in investigating into the tendency of an area 24.8% of the population of the Region which was 917,251 endowed with natural resources to attract people from all in 2000 according to the Population and Housing Census parts to itself and the effect the exploitation has in for 2000 (Ghana Statistical Service, 2000). causing environmental health hazards has been brought The area falls within the Dickson and Benneh (1988) to the fore by many people. Hilson (2001) observed that Guinea savannah zone that lies between 8° N and 13° N there is the tendency for an area endowed with natural and corresponds to the tsetsefly zone known as the resources to attract high numbers of people to the “middle belt” of West Africa. It is part of the tropical community with the aim of exploitation. This sometimes continental climatic zone characterised by pronounced lead to overcrowding and environmental related problems dry and wet seasons (Benneh et al., 1990). Rainfall is such as poor sanitation, water and air pollution, land usually infrequent, discrete and largely unpredictable. degradation and health related problems. This article The peak rainfall period is usually late August and early argues in this line that there is direct relation between September with 60% of it occurring within the months of small-scale mining activity and population size and health July to September (IFAD, 1990). Periods of dry season hazards. usually last for 5 to 6 months, from November to late A MAP OF THE STUDY AREA IN THE UPPER EAST REGION 720000 800000 880000 960000 1040000 1120000 1200000 1280000 Fig. 1 BURKINA FASO 2320000 2320000 BONGO UPPER KASSENA-NANKANA WEST BAWKU EAST REGION 2240000 BAWKU WEST 2240000 TOGO BOLGATANGA (PROJECT AREA) 2160000 2160000 BUILSA 2080000 2080000 NORTHERN REGION 720000 800000 880000 960000 1040000 1120000 1200000 1280000 Locati on of The Regi on Within Ghana N W E S Location of The Project Area LEGEND Within The Region 30 0 30 Kilometers PROJECT AREA DISTRICTS WITHIN THE REGION 1:500000 Bawku East Bawku West Bolgatanga Bongo Builsa Kassena - Nankana Profile of study area March, with occasionally droughts at the beginning of The area of this study consists of the Bolgatanga and rainy season (Bolgatanga Meteorological Service, 2003). Talensi-Nabdam districts of the Upper East Region of Its soils are characterized by shallow, low in organic northern Ghana (Fig.1) are described as one of the most matter content and coarse in textured luvisols in the north deprived and degraded areas of Ghana. The districts eastern portion of the study area with ample evidence of were created through the splitting of the former the presence of minerals, especially gold. Soils are Edu. Sust. Devpt. “Health impact of mining in Ghana” Isaac Agyemang ©Indian Society for Education and Environment (iSee) http://www.indjst.org Indian J.Sci.Technol. 1115 Indian Journal of Science and Technology Vol. 3 No. 10 (Oct 2010) ISSN: 0974- 6846 formed out of the rock types and the underlying geology economic and infrastructural development. Most of the which is mostly granite, birrimian rocks and sandstone rural communities are found in the Talensi-Nabdam producing loamy sand, sandy loam and sandy clay loam district which, over the years, has received less through weathering processes (Senaya et al., 1998). infrastructural and developmental projects and attracted The surface relief is characterized by flat to gentle very few migrant populations. In essence, the rate of slope with uplands of an average
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