The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has expressed grave concern over the alleged water pollution in Grand Cape Mount County by Turkish-owned gold mining company Bea Mountain Mining Corporation.
It was reported on Saturday, May 22, 2022, that several communities in Kinjor, Grand Cape Mount County have been affected by the spillage of poisonous chemical used by Bea Mountain Mining Company, killing several fish, and dogs who drank the water, making the local people flee their towns, thereby disrupting their normal lives.
The EPA has ordered a probe into the reported incident “It has been reported that dangerous chemical used by the Company mistakenly spilled into the Mafa River which resulted to the death of some aquatic species in the Mafa and Marvor Rivers, in Grand Cape Mount County, as depicted in posts on social media.”
EPA in a statement issued in Monrovia Tuesday, May 24, 2022, announced that its Executive Director, Professor Wilson Tarpeh, has commissioned a team from the Agency’s regional office in Tubmanburg along with scientists from its head office in Monrovia to immediately investigate the alleged incident.
According to the statement, the team will be dispatched to the alleged site to ascertain the gravity of the pollution. Meanwhile, the EPA has urged the public to remain calm as it awaits a technical report from the team. At the same time, the EPA strongly advised residents of the affected communities to avoid using the water and not to consume any dead aquatic species, especially fish until further notice.
The Agency further assured the public that the EPA remains committed to its core values of ensuring a clean, safe and healthy environment for all and urge the public to report any act of pollution across the country.
