Effect of Small Scale Mining on the Environment of Tarkwa-Nsuaem Municipality of Ghana

Abstract

The study examined the effects of the activities of Small Scale Mining on the environment in the Tarkwa-Nsuaem Municipality. A simple random sampling technique was used to select 123 small scale gold miners in the municipality. The study also ascertained why people engage in SSM and determined the effect of SSM on the environment.

The study identified poverty and unemployment as the main reasons why people engaged in small scale mining. Also the study revealed that, small scale miners suffered from respiratory and skin diseases as a result of their mining activities. Majority of the respondents also accepted the fact that their activities had an adverse effect on the environment, however very few of these miners took steps to reduce the negative impact of their activities on the environment.

The study concluded that small scale mining leads to environmental degradation and very little effort is made by miners to reduce the effect of their activities on the environment. The study therefore recommends that small scale miners should be given some education on how to reduce the effects of their activities on the environment.

Keywords: environment, respiratory, degradation, small scale mining, poverty, unemployment