Kaabong District Local Government dispatched a select committee of technical staff to the newly established gold quarrying camp in Loyoro Sub-county to assess the prevailing conditions and guide appropriate interventions.
The team conducted a comprehensive situational analysis focusing on key public health and social concerns, including hygiene and sanitation, water access, child labour and exploitation, inaccessibility of the area, a suspected measles outbreak, rising cases of promiscuity and prostitution, food insecurity, and lack of decent accommodation.
Findings from the assessment revealed that conditions at the quarrying site are critically inadequate.
There is a severe lack of proper sanitation facilities, limited access to safe and clean water, and widespread cases of child labour, with school-going children actively engaged in mining activities. Additionally, the camp is facing serious public health risks, including a potential measles outbreak, coupled with poor nutrition and unsafe living conditions.
The team also noted increasing social concerns, including exploitation, unregulated settlement patterns, and moral risks associated with the rapidly growing population at the site.
During the exercise, the committee also interviewed a number of individuals at the site who provided first-hand information regarding the living conditions, challenges faced, and daily operations within the quarrying camp. These interactions helped to validate the observations made and offered deeper insight into the realities on the ground.
The select committee comprised the Natural Resources Officer, Lomongin Emmanuel; Senior Labour Officer, Aree Francis; Revenue Collection Officer, Orebo Ceasar; Water Officer, Lokwang Albine; Senior Health Educator, Achilla Godfrey Kibwota; the Headteacher of Lokanayona Primary School, Lopeyok Douglas, representing the Education Department; and the Communications Officer, Lomonyang Simon Adingli.
To address these challenges, the committee proposed a series of immediate and long-term interventions. These include the establishment of a formal revenue collection point to regulate activities, and coordinated enforcement operations to ensure that all school-going children are returned to school, particularly in Lokanayona and Toroi Primary Schools.
Further recommendations include organizing residents to settle according to their respective sub-counties to improve administrative control and service delivery, strengthening public health responses to contain disease outbreaks, and improving access to clean water and sanitation facilities.
In addition, the committee emphasized the need for the business community to actively participate by supplying essential food items at the site to ensure availability and affordability of basic necessities. It was also recommended that residential areas be clearly demarcated and located at a safe distance from the mining pits to minimize accidents and improve living conditions.
The District Council was urged to consider relocating a water bowser to the site to provide safe and reliable water for domestic use. Environmental conservation measures were also highlighted, including controlled and regulated pruning of trees instead of indiscriminate cutting, as well as enforcing the refilling and restoration of abandoned pits that do not yield gold to prevent hazards to both humans and livestock.
Furthermore, the committee recommended the deployment of adequate security personnel to maintain law and order, protect lives and property, and regulate activities within the camp.
The District leadership is expected to review the report and take decisive action to restore order, safeguard vulnerable populations, and ensure that economic activities at the quarry site are conducted in a regulated, safe, and humane environment.
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