The Yellow Army of the Movement for Change and the Alliance for Revolutionary Change have called for an immediate end to the environmental and community destruction caused by illegal mining (galamsey) activities.

The youth caucus expressed displeasure with recent statements made by Members of Parliament (MPs) from both the New Patriotic Party (NPP) and the National Democratic Congress (NDC), which they believe trivialise the national crisis.

In a statement signed by National Youth Leader, Duke Aarson Sasu on Thursday, September 5, the group highlighted the widespread impact of illegal mining, which has severely polluted rivers such as the Pra, Ankobra, and Birim, threatening public health and ecosystems.

“The colour of the White Volta is reported to be changing, affirming reports of its contamination by 'Galamsey' activities. This is a health threat to people who depend on the river for their livelihoods, as well as aquatic lives. The potential devastating impact on our dams cannot be understated.

"Recent news reportage has also exposed the health repercussions of galamsey where babies born in galamsey-prone areas suffer cognitive impairment and other deformities due to the high use of heavy metals used in gold extraction by galamsey operators," the statement said.

• Read also: Galamsey: NDC polluted water more than us – Annoh Dompreh

The movement criticised the Majority Chief Whip, Habib Iddrisu for blaming the opposition NDC more than the ruling NPP for the pollution of water bodies despite these grave issues, calling his statement irresponsible, divisive, insulting and a clear show of the degree of negligence of political actors in the NDC and NPP.

“The devastation caused by galamsey is a national emergency that requires unity, not political point-scoring. The toll of environmental destruction inflicted by galamsey activities keeps mounting as the days go by, and the NPP and NDC are without regret measuring their pollution levels instead of tackling it,” they stressed.

According to the movement, most of Ghana's water bodies have been contaminated, and over 34 forest reserves have been destroyed under the watch of both the NPP and the NDC.

They said despite efforts by the media, civil society, and other stakeholders to address the crisis, both the previous and current governments have failed to take sufficient action.

“Today, we sound a clarion call for every Ghanaian, especially the youth, to arise and take a bold step to save our country from the nation wreckers. Our attachment to the duopoly of NDC and NPP who have supervised this mess must end. 

“Our water bodies need to be clean and viable for every need; our forest reserves need to be protected from encroachment by some selfish and greedy men, no matter the party colours they are draped in. We cannot afford to remain silent for we are either victims or perpetrators. There is no middle ground,” the statement read.

The group also demanded that the government declare a state of emergency in the affected regions to tackle the galamsey crisis with the urgency it deserves, and stressed that immediate actions must be taken to restore polluted water bodies and enforce sustainable mining practices.