‘Our Children Are Drinking Poison’: Galamsey Pollutes Atatem School Borehole - RoNAG Study

 Children at the Atatem D/A Basic School are unknowingly consuming water laced with toxic chemicals, a new study by the Rights of Nature Ghana Movement (RoNAG) and KNUST scientists has revealed. The research shows arsenic, chromium, and lead levels hundreds of times above WHO safety limits, tracing the contamination to illegal mining activities encroaching on the school’s land and nearby rivers.

Galamsey’s Proximity Sparks Concern

RoNAG initiated the study following observations during a Rights of Nature sensitization workshop in June 2025. The workshop, which included tree-planting activities and educational sessions for teachers and pupils, revealed disturbing encroachment by illegal mining (“galamsey”) operations onto the school’s land. The close proximity of these sites prompted the research team led by Dr. Dickson Adom and Dr. David Azanu, supported by Mr. Isaac Ayew Aidoo and Ms. Deborah Ntaidu from KNUST’s Department of Environmental Science to conduct a detailed water quality analysis with support from Gower Street, UK.

Disturbing Laboratory Findings

Water samples were collected from the school borehole, a community borehole, and nearby rivers. The results revealed heavy contamination far exceeding World Health Organization (WHO) standards:

1. Arsenic (As): Detected at 1 mg/L which is 100 times higher than the WHO permissible limit of 0.01 mg/L. Arsenic is a potent carcinogen linked to skin, lung, and bladder cancers.
2. Chromium (Cr): Recorded at 30 mg/L which is 600 times higher than the WHO guideline of 0.05 mg/L. Hexavalent chromium is associated with cancer, liver damage, and immune system impairment.
3. Lead (Pb): Found at 0.11 mg/L which is 11 times higher than the safe threshold of 0.01 mg/L. Lead exposure, especially in children, impairs neurological development and can cause irreversible brain damage.

The analysis also found elevated levels of Cadmium (Cd) and other contaminants. Equally concerning, the basic parameters of pH, turbidity, and total dissolved solids (TDS) were non-compliant with WHO standards, contradicting the assumption that borehole water is inherently safe.

 

A section of the Atatem DA Basic School building and a galamsey site just behind it

The Hidden Danger Beneath the Ground

The study dispels a common myth in mining communities that groundwater and boreholes are safe alternatives to polluted rivers. In Atatem, both surface and groundwater sources are heavily compromised. Rivers located before and after the school (designated AG2R and AGR) also showed severe contamination, confirming that the pollution is widespread and systemic.

A Human Health Risk Assessment conducted by RoNAG revealed Hazard Quotients (HQ) far greater than 1 and Cancer Risks (CR) well above acceptable limits, signaling a high probability of both non-carcinogenic and carcinogenic health outcomes. Children exposed to these toxic elements risk kidney damage, neurological disorders, impaired cognitive development, and lifelong vulnerability to cancer.

This is not merely an environmental issue,” Dr. Adom emphasized. “It is a profound violation of the rights of both humans and nature to exist, thrive, and regenerate. The rivers of Atatem have been stripped of their right to remain clean, and the health of children is being sacrificed.”

A Call for Immediate and Structural Action

RoNAG is calling on the Water Resources Commission, Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), and relevant security agencies to take immediate action to halt all galamsey operations within and around Atatem. The movement further urges the deployment of advanced water filtration technologies to purify contaminated sources and safeguard public health.

This situation reflects a systemic failure of regulatory oversight”, Dr. Adom noted. “Allowing toxic water to flow into a public school is an indictment of environmental governance. The healthcare costs of treating cancers and chronic illnesses among exposed children will far outweigh the profits of illegal mining.”

Embracing a Rights of Nature Framework

Beyond emergency interventions, RoNAG emphasizes the need for a long-term solution through the legal recognition of nature’s rights in Ghana’s governance framework. The organization has already submitted a proposal to the Ghana Constitutional Review Committee advocating the inclusion of Rights of Nature in the national constitution, a step that would establish legal safeguards for rivers, forests, and ecosystems against human exploitation.

Until Ghana recognizes nature’s inherent right to exist, thrive, and regenerate, the nation’s rivers will continue to be strangled by galamsey and poisoned by greed, leaving generations of children to bear the physical and economic burden of this ecological injustice.

The health of our rivers,” RoNAG concludes, “is inseparable from the health of our people. To heal one, we must protect the other.”

Source: Dickson Adom (PhD)
Director, Rights of Nature Ghana Movement (RoNAG)