Newmont (NEM) Ahafo Mine denies 'killing' residents
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CITIFMONLINE Business News
Ebenezer Afanyi Dadzie/ Citifmonline.com ==== 11 Nov 2010
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Mining giant Newmont Ghana gold limited insists it is conforming to international best practices despite recent complaints of deaths and various degrees of injuries at its Ahafo mine.
The mining giant was reacting to concerns raised by Wacam, a Human Rights and mining advocacy non-governmental organization, which has expressed worry about increasing deaths, accidents, injuries, and safety risks associated with the operations of Newmont’s Ahafo mine.
According to WACAM, dams constructed by Newmont Ahafo mine have created unsafe economic and social problems for many communities.
They alleged that fifteen people have so far died by drowning in poorly constructed dams or knocked down by the company's vehicles.
But speaking to Citi Business, the Regional Communications Manager of Newmont Ghana Gold Limited Adiki Ayitevie said although many of the incidents did occur the activities of Newmont conform to international safety standards.
“We take this very serious and we are continuously looking for ways of improving our safety standards. So the damns have been built with safety in mind and they have been done in line with international environmental standards all in line the country’s regulatory authority agencies. What we have also done with the dams is that we have posted relevant safety signs with security personnel to undertake awareness programmes” he said.
“There have been some incidents of drowning but most of this happens when people go there to fish and anytime it happens, our emergency response team works with the police to retrieve the bodies and work with the necessary organizations to ensure that we improve measures so that people do not have access to use it for fishing and swimming” he explained.
WACAM also says Boom Gates erected by the mining company stops all vehicular and human movement and causes the delay of vehicles conveying sick people referred from Gyedu Health Centre to Hwidiem Government Hospital on emergency through Kenyase.
But the Regional Communications Manager of Newmont Ghana Gold Limited says the boom gates were rather built to protect residents them from being hit by trucks.
“We have those boom gates as part of the safety measures that has been agreed with our regulatory authority and our own safety standards so that when the trucks are moving and people get there, they cannot cross. As far as I know, we haven’t had people complaining about that. So those boom gates are there to ensure that we do not have any accidents or collisions amongst our trucks.
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