The Environment Protection Agency intensifies public education about the dangers of mercury among school nature clubs in Koidu City, Kono district
The Environment Protection Agency intensifies public education about the dangers of mercury among school nature clubs in Koidu City, Kono district
This initiative was carried out in line with our functions as stated in Section 12(h), which mandates us to initiate and pursue formal and non-formal educational programs for the creation of public awareness of the environment and its importance to the economic and social life of Sierra Leone.
It could be recalled that the agency, in partnership with Conservation International, recently launched a $2.7 million GEF-funded Gold Plus project to enhance the formalisation of artisanal small-scale gold mining (ASGM) and reduce mercury in the ASGM sector.
Mercury has been considered one of the world’s 10 most dangerous chemicals, and the Minamata Convention, a global convention, seeks to protect human health and the environment from the adverse effects of mercury.
With artisanal small-scale gold mining becoming a thriving industry among informal mining entities, which primarily consist of illegal miners in rural areas, advocacy and formalisation must be implemented to educate them about the hazards of mercury and how to formalise the sector.
Given that, school nature clubs were extensively engaged in sustainable practices and environmental stewardship in their localities. This is because the #ASGM sector is mostly informal and employs young people.
Members of the school nature clubs demonstrated their understanding of the dangers of mercury through skits, presentations, and exchanges, including respiratory and nervous impacts on human health, because mercury is nearly impossible to clean up after it has been released.
Mercury is used in #ASGM to separate gold from sediments; however, if discharged into water bodies, it can be ingested by aquatic creatures, providing a risk to humans who consume the food chain from polluted water bodies.
With increased advocacy, there would be adequate public awareness about not only the dangers but also an increased sense of environmental stewardship, particularly among youths.
