Addressing members of the Mano River Union -MRU on mercury pollution along the subregion, Member of Parliament for 084 Constituency, South Region Bo District, Hon. Joseph Abdul Bash Kamara has said that they are a contributing factor to the pollution of Taia.
He explained that recently in Parliament “fingers were pointed at me, my constituency, my chiefdom of being one of the most serious pollutants of the Taia River.”
The MP further explained that inasmuch as gold mining is very relevant to “our country and it is one of the livelihood sources, however, we must not also forget the activities, thepractices in producing gold has far-reaching consequences in our environment, on our health that needs to be given serious consideration to save the lives of our people and our environment.”
The MP said in parliament all the various sectors were put into a select committee and went round visiting segments of the Taia river.“We went to Taiama, Mano daseh, Bonthe Mattru Jong, the update we received is that the mining activity of gold has made the river muddy and has also destroyed marine lives which are also livelihood options of the residence along the Taia river.”
He added that residents also complained that they could no longer use the river to bathe because they now experience itching and skin diseases whenever they use the river and also can no longer do laundry in the river anymore.
“These communities are starving because drinking water has become a challenged,” MP Bash added.
“These culminated events have signaled the seriousness of the use of gold miners in my community and other communities.”
However, he expressed his delight in having for the steps taken by Artisanal Gold Council to raise awareness about mercury hazards and alternative mining methods.
“I am privileged of having the Artisanal Gold Council pilot project EnGAGE in my community raising awareness and providing mining alternatives with more yield and less hazardous to miners and the environment.”
Hon. Bash pleaded for donors to enhance the resource of AGC so that they can reach other areas across the country.
He emphasized that the issue is a serious issue. “I have just learned that even the licensed companies are using mercury and our women and children often mining from the tailings of these industrial companies meaning we have mercury all around us.”
“I am appealing to donors to come to our aid to save lives,” he implored.
In Sierra Leone, artisanal and small-scale gold mining has emerged as one of the most important extractive sectors.
It is estimated that over 80,000 miners are directly employed producing over 125M USD of gold annually which is roughly equal in export value to the country’s better-known diamond sector.
AGC’s Project Manager Peter Rosenbluth explained that the ASGM sector is largely informal, which contributes to the health and social problems often associated with artisanal and small-scale gold production and sale. Poor environmental practices, including the use of mercury, a potent neurotoxin, and persistent pollutant, is also an increasing concern.
He said that the Enabling and Growing Responsible Artisanal Gold Enterprises (EnGAGE), project which is being implemented by the Artisanal Gold Council (AGC) and Deutsche Gesellschaft fur Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH under a co-financing agreement between the European Union and the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and
Development (BMZ), is part of the “Regional Resource Governance in West Africa” program.
He explained that the program is designed to support Sierra Leone’s vision for ASGM. The project’s aim is to demonstrate that gold can be mined profitably and in accordance with good practices relating to legality, environment, gender equality, health, safety, and human rights.
Peter said that the project has sought to legalize and improve the operating practices of artisanal gold mining groups while introducing innovative technologies for higher yield mercury-free processing.
He further explained that the Project Goal basically is to develop a model for environmentally and socially responsible artisanal gold production in Sierra Leone
Resource Governance in West Africa”, is designed to support Sierra Leone’s vision for ASGM. The project’s aim is to demonstrate that gold can be mined profitably and in accordance with good practices relating to legality, environment, gender equality, health, safety, and human rights. The project has sought to legalize and improve the operating practices of artisanal gold mining groups while introducing innovative technologies for higher yield mercury-free gold processing.
