A new video has emerged of a farmer standing in water at the level of his chest, on his farmland, as he bitterly complains about the devastating effects of galamsey in the country.
The man, who explained that he campaigned passionately for the New Patriotic Party (NPP) to win political power, expressed his disappointment at how badly the situation of small-scale illegal mining has been.
He also painted a picture of how much damage the activities of galamsey have caused to their livelihoods, as well as their farms.
“In the era of the NPP, things have deteriorated so badly. Look at the cocoa trees I have planted for close to 13 years. To think that we worked for the NPP to come to power to make things better, then we should have just allowed the NDC to stay. Look at what galamsey has done to my cocoa farm…
“Since we came to meet our forefathers on these lands, even when it floods, it does not come here… look at all these cocoa trees on about 10 acres of land that has been destroyed by water. Why? If this was what it was, then we should not have even gone into this type of farming,” he lamented.
The man continued that there was even a time when they were unable to even salvage any of their harvested cocoa beans because the flood waters had washed through their lands.
He further regretted giving all of his energy and time to working for the NPP to come into office, with the hope that their coming would help make his life better.
“We even had cocoa bags numbering about ten bags here but they have all been washed away, and the little that was left behind, we came by only to see that it had also been washed away. Is this how we will continue to live on this land?
“We all thought that we were helping the NPP to come to power so that our lives would be comfortable, but if we knew this is how it would come about, then what was the benefit? Since they came into power, galamsey activities have go on and on such that immediately there is small rain, then it rushes through our cocoa farms. The damage is all over this area,” he said.
It is, however, unclear which part of the country the man was speaking from, but there is no doubting the extent of the damage that the activities of people engaged in the illegal trade in small-scale mining (galamsey) have caused to the environment in recent years.
Galamsey, as it is widely known, has become a matter of great concern for many, with traditional rulers, politicians, social groups, and nearly every Ghanaian making it a point to contribute to discussions or calls for the menace to be stopped.
The infiltration of foreigners, especially Chinese nationals, into the illegal trade, with the use of their heavy equipment, has further escalated the destruction of the mining activities in the environment.
Watch the video below:
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