The Deputy Director of the Natural Resource and Conservation group, AROCHA Ghana, Derrol Bonsu says there should be a national level action to ensure that uncovered 'galamsey' pits are covered to cut down the occurrence of deaths in mining communities.
This follows the death of a 16-year-old boy of one of such mining pits in Kodobeda a community near Anyinam in Atiwa East District of Eastern region. The body of the deceased identified as Desmond Quaye has been retrieved and deposited at the Kibi Government Hospital Morgue.
According to reports, the deceased, Desmond Quaye a Junior High School (JHS 2) pupil of Anointed Preparatory School, was on his way to school and met his friends who were swimming in the abandoned mining pits, he joined them and got drowned in the pit.
The police visited the scene and with the help of the community members, they were able to retrieve the body for investigations by the police.Â
In an interview with Starr News, the Deputy Director of Natural Resource and Conservation group said abandoned mining pits are common and that government needs to ensure the pits are covered
''The issue of uncovered mining pit is really a problem now.Its all over the place,you are likely to find those done by small scale miners been covered up because of the instruction from the government to cover the pits. Also those who were acting illegally and those who were called galamsey were digging around and they leave it and go''.
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He added that :''I think right now there needs to be a national level action to ensure that we go around and get these pits covered also I think its part of the work of the Interministerial Committee to ensure that the damaged that has been caused will be remedied but we haven't seen anything of that sort happening.''