The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has shut down the operations of FAC Gold at Bogoso in the Western Region and seized mining equipment and more than 130 barrels of sodium cyanide following multiple regulatory violations, the Chief Executive Officer of the Agency Professor Nana Ama Klutse has said.
According Professor Nana Ama Klutse, the company was found to have breached several conditions attached to its operating permit, including improper waste disposal, failure to post a reclamation bond and the unsafe handling and storage of hazardous chemicals.
Speaking during an enforcement operation at the mining site, the EPA Chief Executive said FAC Gold, which processes mining tailings for gold, had been discharging waste into the environment, causing significant environmental degradation in surrounding communities.
“We gave them conditions in their permits, but they violated them. So we charged them penalties,” the EPA CEO said, adding that inspections conducted by the Agency revealed a large stockpile of sodium cyanide stored at the company’s warehouse.
As part of the enforcement action, the EPA confiscated the cyanide and seized trucks and other machinery used in the company’s operations.
The Agency also noted that FAC Gold does not have a reclamation bond, a mandatory requirement intended to ensure the restoration of mined land.
The company operates in the Bogoso area near Tarkwa, a region with a long history of mining activities and related environmental challenges.
The EPA Chief Executive Professor Nana Ama Klutse said the shutdown forms part of ongoing compliance and monitoring exercises aimed at ensuring that mining companies — including small-, medium- and large-scale operators — adhere strictly to Ghana’s environmental laws and regulations.
“This also serves as a deterrent to mining companies that are violating our environmental laws,” the EPA head said, stressing that the Agency’s objective is to ensure minimal environmental impact through strict enforcement of permit conditions.
The EPA said it will continue to carry out periodic inspections and enforcement operations nationwide to protect the environment and hold violators accountable.
Source: www.kumasimail.com
