Open Access Open Access  Restricted Access Subscription Access

Population Dynamics and Health Hazards of Small-scale Mining Activity in the Bolgatanga and Talensi-nabdam Districts of the Upper East Region of Ghana


Affiliations
1 Department of Environment and Resource Studies, University for Development Studies, P.O. Box TL 1350 Tamale, Ghana
 

Recently, there has been an upsurge of small-scale mining activity in the Bolgatanga and Talensi-Nabdam districts of the Upper East Region following the discovery of gold bearing rocks around the Nangodi and Pelungu areas of the districts. This study attempts to relate population size and health hazards in the study area to the activity of small-scale mining. Based on the findings from field work it was deduced that the prevailing increase in population size and spread of communicable diseases as documented in the Regional Bio statistics service are related directly and indirectly to the activities of the small-scale mining.

Keywords

Small-scale Mining, Population Dynamics, Health Hazards, Bolgatanga and Talensi Nabdam
User

  • Acquah PC (1992) Mining and the environment: The Ghanaian experience. Proc, of symposium on gold mining in Ghana, Mineral Commission, Accra., Ghana.
  • Agbesinayale C (1990) Impact of Small-Scale mining in Ghana. Unpublished Masters Thesis, Univ. of Dortmund Spring Program.
  • AGC (1992) Ashanti goldfields: The jewel in Ghana’s crown. Sponsorship Statement, Euro money, Obuasi, Ghana.
  • Agyapong E (1998) Streamlining artisanal gold mining activities and the promotion of cleaner production in the mining sector in Sub-Saharan Africa: Ghana as a case study. Intl. Instt. for Industrial Environ. Economics, Lund Univ., Sweden.
  • Aubynn AK (1999) Economic restructuring dynamics and environmental problems in Africa, empirical examples from the forestry and mining sectors of Ghana. UNU/IAS Working Paper, 34.
  • Awumbila M and Tsikata D (2004) Migration dynamics and small-scale gold mining in northeastern Ghana: Implications for sustainable rural livelihood. ISSER, Univ. of Ghana, Accra, Ghana.
  • Barry M (1996) Regularizing informal mining. A summary of the Proc. of the Intl. roundtable on artisanal mining. World Bank Industry and Energy Dept., Washington, D.C., U.S.A.
  • Benneh G, Agyepong GT and Allotey JA (1990) Land degradation in Ghana. Commonwealth Secretariat, Marlborough House, Pall Mall, London, U.K.
  • Blench R (2006) Agricultural and the environment in north eastern Ghana, Working paper on partnership and policies for change. ODI, Cambridge, U.K.
  • Bolgatanga District Assembly (2002) District medium term development plan for poverty reduction strategy. District Administrative Office, Bolgatanga. Ghana.
  • Bolgatanga Meteorological Service (2003) Regional meteorological figures. Bolgatanga. Ghana.
  • Boserup E (1980) Population and technological change: A study of long term trends. Chicago University Press, Chicago, U.S.A.
  • Cameron J (2000) Focusing on the focus group. In: Qualitative research methods in Human Geography, Hay I (Ed), Victoria, Australia: Oxford Univ. Press, Oxford, U.K.
  • Crawford L (2004) Democratic decentralization in Ghana: Issues and prospects. POLIS Working Paper, 9, Univ. of Leeds, Leeds, U.K.
  • de Sherbinin A (1993) Population and consumption issues for environmentalists: A literature search and bibliography. Paper presented for the population reference Bureau and the Pew Charitable Trust, Washington, D.C., U.S.A.
  • Dickson, K.B and Benneh, G (1988) New Geography of Ghana, Longman, London, U.K.
  • Ehrlich PR and Ehrlich AH (1977) Eco-science: Population, Resource, Environment. WH Freeman, San Francisco, U.S.A.
  • Geist HJ and Lambin EF (2001) What drives tropical deforestation: Land-use and land-cover changes. LUCC Report Series, 4, Intl. Geo-sphere-Biosphere Program, Stockholm, Sweden.
  • Gilbert G (1999) An easy on the principle of population. Oxford World Classic, Oxford Univ. Press, Oxford, U.K.
  • Griesbach JC and Sanders D (1998) Soil and water conservation strategies at regional, sub-regional and national levels, Adv. in Geo-Ecol. 31, 867-877.
  • Ghana Statistical Service (2000) Population and housing census reports for 2000: Analysis of district data and implications for planning. Upper East Region, Ghana Statistical Services, Accra, Ghana.
  • Heemskerk M (2002) Livelihood decision making and environmental degradation: Small-scale gold mining in the Surinam Amazon. Soc. & Natural Resources. 15, 327-344.
  • Hilson G (2001) The environmental impact of smallscale gold mining in Ghana: Identifying problems and possible solutions. The Geographical J. 168, 57-72.
  • IFAD (1990) Upper East Region land conservation and smallholder rehabilitation project. Appraisal Report No. 0244-GH, 1, 1 11 Working Paper 11, IFAD, Rome, Italy.
  • Kane H (1995) The hour of departure, forces that create refugees and migrant. World Watch Paper 125, World Watch Institute, Washington, D.C., U.S.A.
  • Myers N (1997) Environmental refugees. Population & Environ. 19, 2, 167-182.
  • Nabila JS (1986) Rural migration and its implications for rural development in Ghana. In: Rural development in Ghana, Brown CK (Ed), Univ. of Ghana Press, 75-89, Accra, Ghana.
  • Rawana D (2000) Report survey on environmental and health impacts. Special Issue, Transition, 27-28.
  • Ripley ER, Redman R and Crowder A (1996) Environmental effects of mining. St Lucie Press, Florida, U.S.A.
  • Senaya JK, Adjei-Gyapong T and Asiamah RD (1998) Soils of the Busa agricultural station of the Upper West Region, S.R.I, C.S.I.R. Technical Report, 191, Kumasi, Ghana.
  • United Nations (1996) Recent development in smallscale mining: A report by the Secretary General of the United Nations. Natural Resources Forum. 20, 3, 215-225.
  • United Nations Environment Program (1993) Environmental data report. Blackwell Publ., London, U.K.
  • Upper East Regional Coordinating Council (2003) Regional coordinating council Annual Report, Bolgatanga. Ghana.

Abstract Views: 386

PDF Views: 207




  • Population Dynamics and Health Hazards of Small-scale Mining Activity in the Bolgatanga and Talensi-nabdam Districts of the Upper East Region of Ghana

Abstract Views: 386  |  PDF Views: 207

Authors

Isaac Agyemang
Department of Environment and Resource Studies, University for Development Studies, P.O. Box TL 1350 Tamale, Ghana

Abstract


Recently, there has been an upsurge of small-scale mining activity in the Bolgatanga and Talensi-Nabdam districts of the Upper East Region following the discovery of gold bearing rocks around the Nangodi and Pelungu areas of the districts. This study attempts to relate population size and health hazards in the study area to the activity of small-scale mining. Based on the findings from field work it was deduced that the prevailing increase in population size and spread of communicable diseases as documented in the Regional Bio statistics service are related directly and indirectly to the activities of the small-scale mining.

Keywords


Small-scale Mining, Population Dynamics, Health Hazards, Bolgatanga and Talensi Nabdam

References





DOI: https://doi.org/10.17485/ijst%2F2010%2Fv3i10%2F29842