Environmental Impact Of Mining And The Well- Being Of The People
[A Case Study of Akwatia]

Statement of the problem

Small scale mining activities started more than 100 years ago. Around the eighteen

(18) century, a lot of foreign investors engaged themselves in mining activities which resulted in the creation of jobs for the local people including those outside the mining community which has helped in the growth of the country’s economy. Again, the implementation of appropriate regulations and policies governing the Mineral Commission of Ghana also encouraged a lot of mining investors into the country. This has also helped in the economic growth of Ghana. Apart from the mining activities providing jobs and contributing to the economic growth of Ghana, it has its corresponding challenges which have negative impact on the environment and the communities at large. Ironically, the illiteracy level in Akwatia is high and nobody seems to be ready in addressing the problem by providing both formal and informal learning process. Living standard in Akwatia is very low making everybody to virtually think about how to afford a three- square meal per day and not as to how to protect the environment. There is no democracy functioning at the local level, making it very difficult for the local people to be involved in the activities in their own community. This makes it very difficult to deal with the problem making it difficult to change the situation. The local people are either aware or unaware of the damage they have caused to the environmental. This has given the local people no option than to engage in illegal mining activities whereas those outside the mining communities

 perceive this as unwillingness to adhere to change. People are also dying out of health related diseases due to the illegal mining activities. Due to the above reasons the question I am asking now is, to what extent are the local people in Akwatia aware of the environmental, social, political consequences in small scale mining? Again, it is therefore also notable to look into the people’s perspectives about the environmental, social, and the political dimension of the situation.

The research questions

-To what extent are the local people in Akwatia aware of the environmental, social, political consequences in small scale mining?

-What are the people’s perspectives about the environmental, social, health and political situation in Akwatia?

Organization of study

The rest of the thesis is organized as follows: Chapter one surveys the historical aspect of the city of Akwatia. The chapter also looks at the environmental impact of mining especially, in the mining communities.

Chapter two presents review of previous literature on environmental impact of mining and the well-being of the people in Akwatia. The review starts with definition, meaning and implications of mining in broader context.

The third Chapter explains the approach used in conducting this research. It focuses on the sample size, how the study should look like and the number of people who responded to the questionnaire. In addition, the chapter throws more light on the method and research tools employed in this study.

In the fourth chapter, Empirical findings and the characteristic feature of the data used are captured.

The fifth and final chapter sums up the various findings made by reframing the original aims of the study and proposing further research to enhance the present body of knowledge on environmental impacts of mining activities.