illegal gold mining at least 4.5 million people or one in every seven Gans relies on this largely informal mining sector known as galam I traveled to Taqua in Southwest Ghana where illegal mines have mushroomed there is some legal small scale mining but most of it is illegal the lack of oversight has allowed them to cause devastating environmental damage gold has been part of Ghana’s fabric for centuries what started as local communities using basic tools has evolved into organized groups using heavy machinery that’s a problem for everybody with gold at reced high prices galami miners are digging up rivers and moving to new lands sites without restoring the once they’ve excavated leaving toxic waste behind the water utility has blamed illegal mining for reduced Supply polluted rivers are losing fish and the anti- galami movement gained momentum as protests erupted in the capital a crown but in a country facing high unemployment and widespread poverty there are few alternative sources of livelihood politicians know that full well and that’s one of the reasons why it’s been so difficult to make progress