Artisanal and Small-Scale Gold Production: Technology Without Mercury

Yes Patson, that a problem common even for artisanal miners here in Kenya too. Sometimes the technologies are not that expensive as they claim but just shifting to something new is hard. A lot is about the difficulty of changing behaviour change but beyond that we are lacking systems to push adoption of such by authorities. Most of these are isolated events of private companies or organisations which create suspicion with many seeing them as businesses but not as offering sustainable solutions to their problems.

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Yes, mistrust is big bordering on many things, but the problem of ignorance over the risk of mercury and cyanide to human health and the environment is a serious one. similarly lack of knowledge on wealth improvement through saving and investment. I worked with NEMA, but I am now retired, and well aware of the safeguard issues having worked in the organization as a compliance and enforcement officer. I have also consulted on ESMF and worked on modules to mainstream ESMF into regulated compliance requirements for small scale activities. I have invested in the sector. I have a crasher and the proliferation of leaching plants here is overwhelming some located upstream of ponds where community draw water for drinking.

Let me start by saying that I did an EIA for my site though I did not take it through the process of approval., many of my Neighbours knew I was doing this because I was working with NEMA but not that it may have been a requirement. I was keen on OHS requirement of the crasher handler though they did not see the need of the protective gears. I have a license issued by the County government though not updated yet something that only started last year. I talk a lot to my relatives on the risk of directly handling mercury and use of dishes that are interchanged for kitchen activities and blowing mercury by the mouth during vaporization. May be I am considered elitist or rich.

Seeing how young mothers some my relatives are handling mercury when you know the risk is a painful experience. seeing how the workers in the leaching plants (over 20 of them, some next to the shores of the lake) are handling contaminated tailings which must be treated with cyanide to remove mercury is not a good experience. The investors too do not have a faint idea of what they are involved with in terms of health and environmental risk. Compliance promotion is the key word. Note that ASGM is an informal sector and formal compliance approach by a regulator sometimes do not work well. Jua kali sector in Kenya attest to this.

let me stop there but I hope I may have an opportunity to be part of this process, unfortunately this region (Nyangoma ,Wagusu,Abimbo,Ndira,Gem) seem not to be not part of the project focal area but a lot have shifted to this region and my appeal is to include this region at the earliest opportunity to manage the risk at this very early state.

Thanks, I hope to hear from you.

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