TODAY can report on authority that the recent cyanide spillage from Newmont’s Ahafo Mines in the Brong Ahafo region did, in fact, affect several hamlets around the mine area.
The hamlets, which were deprived access to potable water as a result of the incident included, Kyeikrom, Kwamebourkrom, Afua Serwahkrom, Norbertkrom and Kantinka.
However, Mr Emmanuel Ato Aubynn, Community Relations Manager of Newmont Ghana in the Kenyase District in a media gimmick disputed the existence of the above hamlets. Consequently, he was reported to have dared the Wassa Association of Communities Affected by Mining (WACAM), an advocacy non-governmental organization, which listed the said hamlet to provide evidence to that effect.
Over the weekend, a trip by a cross section of journalists to ascertain the truth or other wise of the matter indeed established that those hamlets exist with many of the residents depending on farming for their economic livelihoods. The first hamlet visited by the journalists was Kwamebourkrom, where it was obvious that the indigenes had suffered too much at the hands of Newmont.
Some of them who spoke to the paper said they could not fathom why Newmont is overly reluctant to relocate the five remaining hamlets around its Ahafo Mine site. They stressed that despite their numerous pleas to the mining company they seem not to care a damn for our appeals for relocation.
“What is preventing Newmont from relocating us in spite of our passionate appeal till date beats our imagination,” said Awuni Emmanuel an indigene of Kwamebuokrom.
According to Mr Emmanuel Awuni, who is a teacher at Kenyase 2 R.C School, the mining activities of Newmont are adversely affecting the health of the inhabitants who reside in the five active hamlets.
“Besides, the noise pollution, dust levels and the pollution of our wells as a result of Newmont’s operations was unbearable for us” asserted the teacher.
Other residents also complained bitterly about the way Newmont was treating them. Remonstrating some of these to TODAY, they cited, for instance, the location and distance of the poly tanks provided by Newmont to some of the hamlets as a result of the spillage which polluted their water bodies.
The paper observed that the distance between the hamlets and the location of the poly tanks was not in the best interest of the hamlets. The poly tanks were about 300 meters away from the various hamlets.
And at the time journalists got to the location where one of the ploy tanks has been placed, there was no security person guarding the facility to ward off people with ill-intentions to wreck havoc on the people.
Although the hamlets admitted that for the first four days Newmont provided personnel to guard the poly tanks, it withdrew the security men after the fourth day, exposing them to high risks.
The rest of the hamlets visited by journalists who embarked upon the trip were Gyakakrom, Norbertkrom, Kyeikrom and Afuaserwahkrom. And in almost all these hamlets the residents complained about the hardships they were going through at the expense of Newmont. They therefore called on government and other stakeholders to impress upon Newmont to relocate them to Kenyase 2.
The journalists also seized the opportunity to interact with the two chiefs of Kenyase 1 and Kenyase 2. When asked by journalists whether they knew of the five hamlets, Nana Osei Kofi Abiri, chief of Kenyase 1 and Odeneho Dadeako Nsiah Ababio, chief of Kenyase 2 both admitted that they knew of only Gyakekrom and Boukrom, adding that they were not aware that there were other hamlets around the mine site.
They gave the assurance that they would go there personally to ascertain the fact on the ground for themselves and take the necessary steps to reverse the existing trend to better the lives of the people.
Speaking to TODAY in an interview, Hon. Mr Francis Kumah, the Assembly member of Dormaa Electoral area appealed to Newmont to find a way of relocating the five remaining active hamlets. He cautioned, “it is only when the five active hamlets have peace that Newmont can also have peace to operate.”
BY ATO KEELSON, BACK FROM KENYASI, BA