We are fast tracking our death if galamsey continues – Solomon Owusu

A member of the Communications Team of the governing New Patriotic Party(NPP) Solomon Owusu has said Ghanaians may die earlier than the life expectancy age due to the devastation caused to water bodies and farmlands by illegal mining popularly known as galamsey

President Akufo-Addo held meetings last week with all traditional and local government leaders in a desperate move to find a solution to the illegal mining problem that is wreaking havoc on the environment.

Despite a government ban on illegal mining, illegal miners have invaded forest reserves, destroyed cocoa farms, and polluted many water bodies, a development that has sparked public outrage.

There’s public demand for the government to take immediate and concrete action to end the menace.

Speaking on the Ghana Kasa show on Kasapa 102.5FM/Agoo TV Wednesday, Solomon Owusu said the consequences of galamsey are dire and likely to cause Ghanaians to die earlier and reduce the country’s life expectancy.

“A few days ago, someone showed me a galamsey site, I was shocked and I cringed. Where we’ve gotten to with this galamsey menace is no child’s play. We must sit up as a country and ensure our water bodies and forests are restored to their former state. We must not entertain the destruction of the environment by these illegal miners.

“We are fast-tracking our death if we look on for galamsey to continue. As for death, everybody will die but at the rate at which we are destroying the environment, we are shortening our life span. Our life expectancy in Ghana is around 64 years but if we don’t take care of and ensure the environment is protected, the life expectancy will reduce to 30 years. We may die like animals. We must act now as a people to preserve the environment for future generations,” Solomon Owusu added.

The current life expectancy for Ghana in 2022 is 64.68 years, a 0.4% increase from 2021. The life expectancy for Ghana in 2021 was 64.42 years, a 0.4% increase from 2020.