Perception of the environmental, socio-economic and health impacts of artisanal gold mining in the Amansie West District, Ghana

Abstract

Artisanal or small-scale mining (ASM) is one of the most important economic activities in Ghana as in other developing countries. While this activity poses serious risks to the people involved and the environment as a whole, a continuation of its practice in Ghana suggests a lack of adequate appreciation of its impacts on the people in the affected areas. This study investigated the perception of 300 participants who were selected from 10 mining communities on the environmental, socio-economic and health impacts of artisanal mining as well as their coping strategies in the Amansie West District of the Ashanti Region of Ghana to inform policy decisions toward sustainable mining. The sample size of 300 was determined using the Cochrane sample size formula. Results showed that a majority of the respondents were males (69%). Also, most of the participants (59%) were between the ages of 15 and 30. About 64% had not received secondary education (64%), and 52% were involved in mining activities. Respondents (96%) had considerable knowledge of ASM, 87% found ASM to be destructive to the environment while 72% asserted that it poses human health. Pollution of water bodies, land degradation, and destruction of farmlands was considered the most common environmental effects associated with ASM, whereas increased incidences of malaria, skin diseases as well as physical injuries and fatal accidents were the commonest health-related effects observed in the area. Nonetheless, participants maintained that ASM is a means of acquiring assets, creating employment and getting rich quickly, and thus wanted it to continue. Coping mechanisms include drinking alternative water, use of mosquito nets/coil and covering mined pits. In general, the findings of this study revealed a substantial understanding of the community members of the benefits and adverse effects of ASM in the Amansie West District, which can be harnessed for policy formulation to ensure sustainable mining in the district.