Fisherfolk in the Shama constituency of the Western Region have expressed deep concerns over the impact of illegal mining, known as galamsey, and ongoing issues with premix fuel on their livelihoods.
Speaking on Channel One TV’s Community Forum, Agya Kofi, a local fisherman, lamented that the community has been grappling with galamsey activities for the past seven years. Despite multiple complaints to authorities, including the District Chief Executive, no action has been taken to resolve the issue.
The illegal mining, which involves extracting minerals from the River Pra and other waterways, has severely disrupted the fishing industry.
The Fisherfolk reports that chemicals used in the mining process are contaminating the water, making it difficult to catch fish.
This has led to significant financial losses, with many fishermen being forced to sell their canoes to cover rising costs.
In addition to the galamsey problem, the community is frustrated with the distribution of premix fuel, which is critical for their operations.
According to Agya Kofi, the allocation of the fuel has become politicized, with individuals who are not involved in fishing receiving large quantities, while actual fishermen struggle to access it.
“Our major challenges here are galamsey and lack of sea defence. Because they mine in the River Pra, it affects us all the way here, harming our business due to the chemicals they use. For seven years, we’ve struggled to make ends meet as fishermen, often returning home empty-handed. Despite our repeated complaints to constituency leaders, no action has been taken.”
“The premix fuel distribution has become politicized, favouring those with connections. Ironically, people who don’t even fish receive larger quantities of fuel than genuine fishermen like ourselves. We’ve informed the District Chief Executive and local authorities, yet nothing has changed. I’ve had to sell some of my canoes just to cope with the expenses.”
The community is also calling for sea defence structures to be built to protect their properties from tidal waves.
Agyarko, another fisherman, noted that most communities around Shama have sea defence structures, but they have been deliberately left without one due to political tagging.
“When tidal waves hit our area, the extremely strong waves from the sea destroy most of our properties. Surrounding communities in Shama have sea defences, but we’ve been left out. We believe it’s because our constituency has been labelled an ‘NDC’ area, resulting in us being denied vital development projects.
“Whenever tidal waves ravage our properties, we’re left with no support. We urge the government to intervene and stop politicizing development projects, particularly the distribution of premix fuel.”
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