Managing the impacts of mining on Ghana’s water resources from a legal perspective

Abstract

Recent floods in Ghana are largely blamed on mining activities. Not only are lives lost through these floods, farms and properties are destroyed as a result. Water resources are diverted, polluted and impounded upon by both large-scale miners and small-scale miners. Although these activities are largely blamed on behavioural attitudes that need to be changed, there are legal dimensions that should be addressed as well. Coincidentally, a great proportion of the water resources of Ghana are within these mining areas thus the continual pollution of these surface water sources is a serious threat to the environment and the development of the country as a whole. The environmental laws need to be oriented properly with adequate sanctions to tackle the impacts mining has on water resources. The Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) procedure needs to be streamlined and undertaken by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and not the company itself.