Gold rush with fatal consequences: Mali fights against mining accidents and environmental degradation!

Gold rush with fatal consequences: Mali fights against mining accidents and environmental degradation!

In the event of a terrible misfortune in Mali, around 50 people died when an illegal gold mine collapsed. Despite the dangers that illegal gold mining brings, it attracts many risky workers. The tragedy occurred on Saturday in a previous mine that was once operated by a Chinese company. As Kleine Zeitung are such deadly accidents in the unstable mines without the necessary Working approvals, not uncommon.

gold mining and its challenges

Mali is home to one of the greatest gold deposits of Africa, but this wealth often comes with severe social and ecological costs. This includes not only dangerous working conditions, but also the exploitation of workers. In many craftsmen's mines, there is a lack of protective measures, so that workers are regularly collapsed and exposed to health-hazardous materials, as described in the report by Perspective abroad . Long working hours and the lack of medical care contribute to the endangerment of the data subjects, while child labor is also widespread in these regions.

The extensive consequences of the gold mining concern not only the direct working environment, but also the natural resources and social structures in the affected communities. Where gold is broken down, country conflicts and destruction of traditional ways of life often occur. These social tensions lead to changes in living conditions and the displacement of many people who are looking for better living conditions in the mines. The breakdown itself goes hand in hand with serious environmental damage, since toxins such as mercury get into the ground and the water and thus endanger the health of the communities and biodiversity.