Mining killing us softly: Community demand resettlement from Anglogold Ashanti

Residents of Anwiam, a small farming Community of about 300 people in Obuasi East district are demanding for a total resettlement from the devastative impacts of the operations of AngloGold Ashanti, Obuasi mine.

With grief and anguish, the chief and opinion leaders of the town stormed Aseda fm, an obuasi based radio station to pour out their decades of unsolved predicament allegedly meted on them through the activities of the mine.

“ My people are calling on Anglogold

Ashanti to build us new homes and compensate us for our lands taken over by the mine. He further proposed that if the mine will allocate some of their abandoned quarters at wawasi to them, they would gladly accept. He suggested.

The traditional leader, traces their woes to the surface mining done by the then Ashanti Goldfields corporation in and around their village, which affected life and livelihoods.

“Our lands and source of drinking water were destroyed through their operations which made the mine extended their pipe borne water to us but for the lands we lost it with little or no compensation” The chief recounts soberly.

When the news team visited the “dead” town, few people were going about the normal duties. They tell news team,life has become unbearable because of lack of jobs and recreation.

The Chief strongly believes and alleges that, most of them are experiencing varied degree of health problems and they suspect, it’s the poisonous air they inhale from the mine.