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The Government of Ghana has consulted with the US Forest Service (USFS) for technical support to ensure strict adherence to best management practices, as it has not yet sought to extract bauxite in commercial quantities in the forest. Atiwa and two other forest reserves.
The USFS is a natural resource agency of the United States Government, with considerable experience in mining management best practices in various landscapes in the United States and in the rest of the United States. world.
As part of its activities, the US agency met with various key players and decision makers from March 25 to 29, 2019 and also visited sites in and around the Atewa Forest.
According to the government, the decision to consult the US agency indicates that it is not baffled by the incessant pressure of several local and international environmental organizations to reverse its decision to extract bauxite in the Atiwa Forest Reserve, in the east of the country. .
To develop the integrated aluminum industry, the government has already concluded a $ 2 billion deal with the Chinese company Sinohydro. He has also set up GIADEC (Integrated Aluminum Development Corporation in Ghana) to accelerate the development of its infrastructure and economy.
Stakeholders included national and regional representatives of the Forestry, Minerals and Water Commissions, the Ghana Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), the Ministry of Lands and Natural Resources, GIADEC, A Rocha Ghana, members of local communities, district authorities and the representative of the supreme leader in and around Atewa.
Since then, the USFS has submitted to the Government of Ghana its report of the technical consultation on the bauxite mining project in the Atewa Forest Reserve, as well as a summary of the recommendations contained in the report made available to the media.
The report states that "the Government of Ghana (GoG) has stated its intention to develop an integrated aluminum industry in order to accelerate the development of the Ghanaian economy. Recently created, the Ghanaian Integrated Aluminum Development Corporation (GIADEC) is responsible for promoting and developing this new aluminum industry by expanding the value chain to include the new aluminum industry. bauxite mining, as well as the refining, smelting and marketing of finished products. The proposed development would require significant badociated investments, including new roads, a railway, access to affordable infrastructure in electricity, marine and water. "
The report further indicates that the bauxite reserve currently under study is estimated at more than 900 million tonnes at three sites: Nyinahin with 750 million tonnes, Kibi (Atewa Forest Reserve) with 150 million tonnes. and Awaso with 20 million metric tons.
The report focuses on the mining project in the Atewa Forest Reserve, given its importance as a municipal watershed of Accra providing drinking water to more than 5 million Ghanaians and a biodiversity reserve of global importance in West Africa.
The report explains, "Responding to the GoG's technical consultation request, a team of USFS experts conducted a five-day technical badistance mission to Ghana. The main objectives of this mission were to develop initial recommendations for incorporating industry best practices into any future mine development for Atewa, as well as to identify new opportunities for technical collaboration between the company and the company. USFS and Ghana ".
Findings / Observations
The USFS technical consulting team focused on proposed mining in the Atewa Forest Reserve during this mission, called Kibi Site. Unless otherwise noted, the results below are for this site only.
The Kibi bauxite reserve is about 150 000 000 tonnes, which seems to be based on geological mapping and exploratory badyzes carried out 10 to 50 years ago. There are very few reports available on Ghana's gauxite mineral reserves. The team has therefore not been able to provide an independent badysis to date of the estimated reserves.
The Minerals Commission has entrusted the international mining company SRK Consulting (with its local partner Terrex) with the design of a targeted drill plan, the establishment of standardized operating procedures and the development of A mine plan. The initial report / plan is expected to be delivered by SRK in June 2019. It is unclear who will do the exploratory drilling and when it will occur. The team observed no field prospecting activity in Atewa as of March 27, 2019 – this was confirmed by members of the local community and authorities.
GIADEC markets the three sites, Awaso (currently operated by a Chinese company), Nyinahin, Kibi, as investment options for international partners who wish to operate the sites. GIADEC is also looking for one or more partners to badist in its refining and smelting activities. The solicitation of the bidding process has been launched. GIADEC indicates that it will select the winning bid in September 2019 while simultaneously conducting an badessment of the environmental impact through the EPA. All permits will be ready for work in January 2020.
There is a clear need for a comprehensive badessment of the environmental and social impacts of the proposed development of bauxite with public participation. Ghana's EPA is open to conducting a Strategic Environmental Assessment (SEA) covering all badociated infrastructure activities, under which each specific project would require its own Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA).
GIADEC has already started its own stakeholder consultation process.
The Water Resources Commission has been monitoring surface water and groundwater since 2006, but has not badessed heavy metals, which is essential for establishing basic water quality parameters that are vulnerable to changes in water quality. mining activities. To date, no report or data on water quality has been made available. The team was not able to provide an independent badysis of water resources.
Water treatment plants and distribution systems are available for large municipalities but remain vulnerable to the impacts of mining and other major land use disturbances (eg, infrastructure development). ).
Rural villages use raw surface water and shallow boreholes for all domestic and agricultural water needs. Public health and safety around the proposed mines are extremely vulnerable to land-use change.
A hydrogeological characterization of the Atewa Municipal Watershed does not exist at this time and is essential to badess the potential impacts of mining on surface water, underground aquifers and water sources. 39, water supply.
The United Nations University has resources to carry out an environmental impact badessment, a gap badysis in sectoral data and to facilitate collaboration among research organizations in the country. Compliance was a major concern for all parties due to insufficient monitoring of ongoing mining activities, hunting, logging and illegal activities in the Atewa Forest Reserve.
Stakeholders noted a general lack of transparency as to what is planned and how impacts will be addressed. It is necessary to establish a collaborative communication plan for the sharing of clear information.
General recommendations
Given the scale, duration and potential significant and ongoing impact of Ghana's Integrated Bauxite Plan on the Atewa Forest Reserve and the water supply of more than 5 million people, it is essential that evaluate a range of development and management options and other alternatives to mining) to protect drinking water and other ecosystem services.
A comprehensive cost-benefit study of the plan should also be conducted, as well as a comprehensive list of mitigation measures that are tested before development takes place in Kibi, as appropriate.
A strategic environmental badessment is strongly recommended. This should include an badysis of cumulative impacts, such as mining, agriculture, logging, tourism / recreation activities, impacts on religious rights, sacred activities, and so on.
Another recommendation would be to establish a comprehensive baseline monitoring plan for the quality / quantity of surface and groundwater, including badysis of heavy metals. It is therefore essential to characterize the aquifer, possibly through the exploratory drilling program, where appropriate.
The development of mining sites and badociated downstream and downstream infrastructure will have substantial impacts on local communities as well as on those residing in the Greater Accra region.
It is essential to conduct a robust stakeholder consultation process.
It is recommended that GoG proactively provide public access to all information that is not proprietary. Transparency is essential to ensure that relevant stakeholder groups are sufficiently informed about the decision-making process, irrespective of the final decision, in order to better ensure the involvement of stakeholders in any future development.
At the same time, the Christian Council of Ghana and its 32 member churches and para-religious organizations, in a letter to President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo dated March 12, 2019 and signed by its Secretary General, Reverend Cyril Foyoso, have Ghana will use Atiwa Forest as a national park (game reserve) rather than as a bauxite mining field.
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