Obuasi (Ash), March 23, GNA – AngloGold Ashanti, Obuasi Mine, has initiated a public sensitization programme to educate the people of the Adansi area on protection of groundwater.
The programme, which was being implemented in collaboration with the Ghana Water Company was to educate the people on the negative impact of open defecation, illegal mining and spillage of oils and other chemicals, as well as indiscriminate land use patterns on groundwater.
Mr Nixon Asante, Senior Manager, Environment at AgloGold, who announced this said many people in Obuasi and its environs were oblivious of the impact of their activities on ground water.
It was therefore important for the company to lead public education on the importance of groundwater which was a crucial water resource for many people.
He was speaking at a durbar to mark this year’s world water day celebration at Obuasi.
This year’s celebration was under the theme “Groundwater- making the invincible visible.”
Mr Asante said AngloGold Ashanti appreciated the importance of groundwater as a primary source of water for most communities within Obuasi and therefore, it had drilled a monitoring borehole for underground water monitoring which enabled the company to detect any adverse impact of mining on groundwater.
He said as a global mining business, AngloGold regarded its role in accelerating the transition to a low- carbon economy as crucial.
That was why in 2008, the company announced its initial emission reduction goals which it met in 2018.
Its carbon intensity had reduced by 43 per cent and overall emissions have almost halved.
Mr Asante dispelled assertion by some people that mining activities of AngloGold Ashanti destroyed water bodies.
He said the company was into responsible mining and its activities were regulated by institutions like the Environmental Protection Agency, which would not approve its licenses if operations were having negative effects on the environment.
Mr Elijah Adansi-Bonah, Obuasi Municipal Chief Executive, said the government was committed to deal with illegal mining activities to help protect the country’s soil and water bodies and make them safe for human consumption.
Ms Abena Dufie Wiredu Bremang, Principal Officer and Head of Pra Basin at the Water Resources Commission, said it was important to provide the needed technical knowledge to locate, abstract, treat and protect groundwater for future generations.
Mr Laurent Piat, Managing Director of Veolia Ghana Limited, pledged the company’s ongoing efforts to improve access to resources, preserve available resources, and replenish them.
Source: Ghana News Agency
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