Gold Mining in Baniet, Sudan: Balancing Economic Opportunities with Environmental and Health Risks
In recent years, there has been an increasing influx of miners into the village of Baniet in the Nile River State, north of Khartoum, Sudan, in search of gold. This influx has turned the village into a site where they dispose of their waste rich in toxic chemicals such as mercury, which is used in gold extraction. The chemical pollution resulting from gold extraction poses significant health and environmental risks to the gold mining communities in Sudan and the residents living near gold mining areas.
I will address the following titles in this article :
- Strong Employment Opportunities Provided by Gold Mining in Sudan:
- Environmental Risks of Gold Mining:
- Health Risks of Gold Mining:
1.Strong Employment Opportunities Provided by Gold Mining in Sudan:
The gold mining sector in Sudan, operated by various gold mining companies across the country, employs over two million people, producing around 80% of the total gold output in the country.
2.Environmental Risks of Gold Mining:
Gold mining leads to the leakage of mercury and other heavy metals used in gold mining and extraction from the soil, contaminating and poisoning it, rendering it unfit for use by farmers. When washed away by rainfall, these waters seep into groundwater, contaminating it in turn, making groundwater toxic and unsuitable for use.
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Environmental Risks of Gold Mining |
3.Health Risks of Gold Mining:
Gold mining poses a threat to the surrounding population of gold mining areas, putting them at risk of several neurological diseases due to mercury used in gold mining, extraction, and separation from the soil and other metals.
More details : Sudan recorded highest gold production in 2022
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