A 12-year-old boy from Boadua Presby Junior Excessive College tragically misplaced his life after falling into an deserted unlawful mining pit close to his dwelling in Boadua, a suburb of Akwatia within the Japanese Area.
The incident, which occurred on the morning of March 6, 2025, forged a sombre tone over Ghana’s 68th Independence Day celebrations, drawing consideration to the continuing risks posed by unlawful mining actions throughout the nation.
The sufferer, an orphan, was reportedly taking part in close to the hazardous pit when he by accident fell in. Regardless of fast efforts to rescue him, the boy couldn’t be saved.
His physique has since been transported to the St. Dominic Catholic Hospital mortuary in Akwatia, the place it awaits additional investigation and burial preparations, as per 3News reviews.
This devastating incident has reignited issues over the persistent difficulty of unlawful mining, regionally known as galamsey, which continues to plague quite a few communities, together with Akwatia, Kade, Oda, Asamankese, Kyebi, and Ayensuanor.
Unlawful miners, usually working in defiance of the regulation, abandon deep, water-filled pits that pose vital dangers to residents, significantly kids.
These deserted websites not solely endanger lives but in addition contribute to extreme environmental degradation, together with deforestation, land destruction, and the air pollution of essential water our bodies such because the Pra, Birim, and Offin rivers.
What’s being achieved by the federal government?
In response to the galamsey disaster, the Ghanaian authorities has carried out numerous measures, together with the deployment of army process forces comparable to Operation Vanguard and Operation Halt II.
These initiatives goal to dismantle illegal mining operations and restore degraded lands. Nonetheless, the persistence of unlawful miners, a lot of whom are armed and function with impunity, has hindered efforts to completely eradicate the follow.
