Communities in Bubi District have forged a partnership with the Environmental Management Agency to address the adverse impact of artisanal mining activities such as environmental degradation in the District.
Environmental degradation characterized by deforestation and hazardous pits has been attributed to some illicit mining activities in the District. The open pits left behind by some artisanal miners pose an imminent risk to humans and livestock in the area.
The loss of livestock and injuries incurred because of these pits prompted Habakkuk Trust Community Advocacy Action Teams in Bubi Ward 1, 12 and 19 to incite EMA to address the issue at the Citizen Accountability Forum organized by Habakkuk Trust in Bubi Ward 19. It is at this meeting that community members resolved to backfill disused pits in a bid to reclaim their natural habitat. To this end, community members requested EMA to provide the technical know-how on steps to be followed in backfilling the pits.
Community members also appealed to the environmental agency to address the issue of blasts from mines that are in close proximity to their homesteads.
“I would like to know what EMA is doing to address the issue of blasts, our plates fall off from cupboards when these blasts occur and we are no longer sure of our safety,” said one of the participants.
Bubi District has a high concentration of mining activities but the District is lagging behind infrastructurally. Habakkuk Trust provided a platform for community members to interact with their key stakeholders on artisanal mining conflicts and environmental degradation that are among the issues the community is advocating on.
Source: Habakkuk Trust
