Newmont Cyanide spillage affected many more people

Kenyase Number Two (B/A), Nov. 3, GNA - Many more people were affected by the recent cyanide spillage at Newmont Ghana Gold Limited (NGGL) Ahafo Mine than the Company stated in its press release.

Ms. Adiki O. Ayitevie, Regional Manager, Communications of Newmont, in a release on Monday 13 October 2009 said Newmont's Ahafo Mine had contained and neutralized, within its mine site, a minor chemical overflow, which occurred at its processing plant on Thursday, October 8 2009. It said the overflow contained gold ore active processing solution, including sodium cyanide, however, a team of Journalists, who visited the affected areas, discovered that many more people were affected by the cyanide spillage.

The affected villages and hamlets included: Adofoasa; Kontokrom; Bamfowaakrom; Akosua Gyakakrom; Bronikrom; Afua Serwaakrom; Kuma Gyakakrom; Norbertkrom (Lawyerkrom); Kwamebourkrom; Kofi Gyakakrom; Yateaberee; Kyeikrom and Kantinkakrom.

Speaking to newsmen in separate interviews at their respective villages and hamlets, the residents consisting mostly of settler farmers, said the operations of NGGL was having a grievous and negative social, economic, environmental, cultural and health impacts on their lives.

According to them, the cyanide spillage into River Yaakyei, which flowed into River Asunua at Kantinka before joining River Subri and finally flowing into River Tano at Achirensua was 'serious'.

They explained that the location of the Company's Environmental Control Dam Number Four (ECD4) coupled with noise and dust pollution since the firm effectively commenced operations about four years ago has been causing not just a great deal of havoc and damage to their health conditions but has also worsen their social and economic lives.

Mr Francis Kumah, Assemblyman for the Dormaa Electoral Area, under which the affected areas fall, said Kantinkakrom for instance comprised about 74 villages and hamlets.

He explained that a village or hamlet might be owned by either an individual or a couple with children saying that sometimes it would be referred to by a popular name of the area.

Mr Robert Owusu Ansah alias Yateaberee, a farmer, said he was on his way to his farm on the morning of Friday October 9 and on reaching Gyaka he saw a quantity of dead fishes floating on the surface of River Yaakyei. He said Newmont was informed by telephone and four officials led by Mr Adjei Poku of the Community Relations Unit came from their outfit to inspect and left.

Mr Ansah said the Newmont officials later returned to the site, adding that Mr Emmanuel Ato Aubynn, Community Relations Manager, admitted that the spillage was from their processing plant.

He said on Saturday October 10 2009, some employees of the Company wearing live jackets were seen in a dingy clearing dead fishes from the surface of the Yaakyei at Gyakakrom.

Madam Comfort Awuni, a farmer at Kwamebourkrom and her two sons, Joseph Awuni, also a farmer, and Emmanuel Awuni, a teacher by profession, corroborated the narrative of Mr Ansah and said that the dead fishes were mainly tilapia and mudfish species. Mr Emmanuel Awuni claimed that at a meeting at the Asutifi District Assembly, the Chief Executive, Mr Eric Addai told them that the Government was handling the situation.

He said before Newmont commenced operations they drank the water from the Yaakyei River at Gyaka and used it for cooking and washing but soon after the Company began its activities they had to stop using the water. Mr Awuni said River Yaakyei has been polluted because of surface runoff from an area where Newmont has been scooping gravels and red soil to repair the roads at the Mine.

He said they had to dig a well for water for domestic consumption but they decided not to use the water again after the cyanide spillage occurred. Mr Awuni said after a meeting with officials of Newmont the Company provided a "Rambo 500 Poly Tank" at Gyaka, filled with water and assigned a security guard to it. He said the members of the community became apprehensive about the quality of the water when they discovered that the Security Guard always drank bottled water. Elder Kofi Adjei of Afua Serwaakrom bemoaned the devastating effect the operations of Newmont were having on their socio-economic and cultural lives and the future of their children. Meanwhile Nana Osei Kofi Abiri and Odeneho Nsiah Ababio, Paramount Chiefs of Kenyase Number One and Kenyase Number Two, respectively, admitted that they did not know of the existence of the villages and hamlets the Journalists had visited and promised to raise the issue at a social responsibility meeting with Newmont for the Company to cater for all the affected villages and hamlets. 3 Nov. 09