Wealth Over Water: How Galamsey Is Threatening Ghana’s Water Security

A new visual analysis by researcher and data visualisation analyst Fatah Maltaba Abass, titled Wealth Over Water: A Visual Analysis of Water Security and Environmental Governance Impacts of Illegal Gold Mining in Ghana, brings together data from the Water Resources Commission (WRC), Ghana Water Limited, COCOBOD, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), Pure Earth, the World Gold Council and peer-reviewed studies.

Scientists at the CSIR-Water Research Institute reported in August 2026 that about 60% of Ghana’s water bodies are polluted, with illegal mining identified as a major contributor alongside agriculture, industrial activity, household waste and other human activities.

Why the cycle is difficult to break The Wealth Over Water analysis estimates that more than one million people are directly involved in artisanal and small-scale mining, with millions more dependent on the sector.