VOA新闻杂志2024--Unlicensed Gold Mines in Ghana Present Risks to People, Nature

Illegal gold mining operations in Ghana have reportedly increased in recent years. The activities present dangerous risks to the individuals involved as well as environmental harms. The Reuters news agency recently reported on the issue.

Reporters with the news agency visited such an operation in western Ghana. They found that workers were not using professional protective equipment as they mined for gold in muddy water filled with mercury. Groups of unofficial miners wore normal clothes and used only their hands to remove rocks.

The unlicensed mine is in the country's Prestea-Huni Valley district. It is an example of how increasing numbers of people are turning to illegal methods to find gold to earn money.

Mining officials in Ghana say such operations can harm miners' health, pollute waterways, destroy forests and farms, and increase crime rates.

One of the men working at the illegal mine told Reuters, "It's risky², but I just want to survive." The man was a 24-year-old accounting³ student. He did not want to be named because he is involved in illegal activities. He told Reuters he had been missing classes to search for gold because he needs the money.

The unlicensed gold mining industry is known in Ghana as "galamsey." The industry has grown quickly over the past year. One reason for the growth was a 30 percent rise in international gold prices.

Small mines produced 34 million grams of gold in the first seven months of this year, official government records show. That was more than in all of 2023.

About 40 percent of Ghana's total gold comes from small mines - those not owned by large international companies. And an estimated 70-80 percent of the small mines are unlicensed.

News reports and human rights groups say numerous miners have died from collapsing⁴ pits in recent years. Hospitals and health centers have reported high numbers of early deaths from heart-related diseases of miners and people living in towns and villages near mines.

The health problems are linked to breathing in dust that contains heavy metals such as lead. In addition, poisonous gas from the mercury and nitric acid are released during unlicensed mine activities. Such chemicals are also dumped on the ground or in rivers. Ghana's water authority says mercury and heavy metals from mining have poisoned about 65 percent of water sources.

The illegal operations have also harmed thousands of hectares of cocoa farms and forest areas, reports data-gathering group Global Forest Watch.

Protesters have taken to the streets in Ghana's capital, Accra, in recent weeks. They have criticized President Nana Akufo-Addo's government over a lack of attention to the problems. Some demonstrators carried signs that said "Leaders, you've failed us!"

Aboubacar Sadekh took part in a protest on the issue September 22. He told Reuters, "Galamsey has to stop. We want to live long. We don't want to fall sick. We don't want to go to the hospital."

Words in This Story

unlicensed - adj. not having a license¹: an official document giving permission to do something

pit - n. a large hole in the ground, or a slightly low area in any surface

authority - n. an official group or government department with power to control particular public services

1 license   

n.执照，许可证，特许；v.许可，特许

参考例句：

• The foreign guest has a license on the person.这个外国客人随身携带执照。
• The driver was arrested for having false license plates on his car.司机由于使用假车牌而被捕。

2 risky   

adj.有风险的，冒险的

参考例句：

• It may be risky but we will chance it anyhow.这可能有危险，但我们无论如何要冒一冒险。
• He is well aware how risky this investment is.他心里对这项投资的风险十分清楚。

3 accounting   

n.会计，会计学，借贷对照表

参考例句：

• A job fell vacant in the accounting department.财会部出现了一个空缺。
• There's an accounting error in this entry.这笔账目里有差错。

4 collapsing   

压扁[平]，毁坏，断裂

参考例句：

• Rescuers used props to stop the roof of the tunnel collapsing. 救援人员用支柱防止隧道顶塌陷。
• The rocks were folded by collapsing into the center of the trough. 岩石由于坍陷进入凹槽的中心而发生褶皱。