EDMOND KOOMSON

The Global Environment Facility was established in October 1991 as a $1 billion pilot program in the World Bank to assist in the protection of the global environment and to promote environmental sustainable development. In 1994, at the Rio Earth Summit, the GEF was restructured and moved out of the World Bank system to become a permanent, separate institution. The decision to make the GEF an independent organization enhanced the involvement of developing countries in the decision-making process and in implementation of the projects. Since 1994, however, the World Bank has served as the Trustee of the GEF Trust Fund and provided administrative services.

A landfill site is a place where a municipal solid waste is dumped, compacted or flattened, covered with sand, and left to decompose or break down. It is also called ‘waste dumps’ or ‘rubbish dumps’. 
In Ashanti region, the Dompoase landfill site is the only landfill.  It is 100-acres landfill project with modern waste management facilities that would help reduce the stench from the site and is capable of containing all solid and liquid waste generated in the Kumasi metropolis. The site is designed for a period of 15 years with three phases and has been used for 9 years

This report gives a brief summary of the activities undertaken by PMGL’s Environmental Department and also what I studied during my industrial training (attachment). PMGL is committed to protecting the environment whilst contributing to the economic development of the countries in which it operates. All of the Company stakeholders, including employees, the local communities, and others have a right to expect the company to take a responsible and environmentally sustainable approach to their activities. It is the responsibility of the PMGL Environmental department to ensure that the environmental policy is obliged in any section of the company. The environmental department consists of five sections namely; Environmental Laboratory, Compliance, Monitoring, EMS, and Rehabilitation and Re-vegetation.
The Environmental Laboratory is where samples from surface water bodies and ground water bodies or portable water in the catchment communities, observable boreholes, and the process plant effluent are analyzed. The samples are analyzed after they have been handed over (COC) by the monitoring section  for physical parameters (PH, Total Dissolved Solids, Conductivity, Dissolved Oxygen, Turbidity, True Color, Apparent Color, Chlorine and Alkalinity), nutrients ( nitrate, nitrite, phosphate, etc.), metals (Pb, Fe, Cu, Ca, Al, Zn, Cd, etc.) and microbiology (E. coli and Total Coliforms).
The Monitoring Section monitor and do sampling of surface water bodies and ground water bodies or portable water in the catchment communities, observable boreholes, and the process plant effluent to be analyzed in the laboratory. The section also monitors dust, noise blast, and rainfall levels in PMGL concession and in the catchment communities. The section does this to access whether the operations of the mine is affecting the environment or not.
The Environmental management system also ensures that all the requirements of the permit is obliged. This section also develops training programs (competency and awareness) to assess the performance of the workers. Internal auditing is also carried out by this section.
The Compliance sections and the EMS have conflicting duties. The compliance also ensures that PMGL workers work according to the requirements of the Permit. Specifically, PMGL’s Environmental compliance section carries out waste managements on site, annual environmental monitoring report, and others.
The rehabilitation and re-vegetation section ensures that the land is restored to its natural structure during and after the operations of the mine. This section also controls erosion.
All these sections come together to make sure that the environment is safe for it habitats and the mine operations do not have negative impact on the environment and the catchment communities.

One of the most environmental impacts of earthquakes is tsunamis; are large sea waves that arise from an earthquake on the sea floor or close to the coast. It can move at 1000km/hr or faster away from the center of the earthquake. The swells can be as high as 65m.
Tsunamis has a devastating effect on insects, animals, plants, and natural resources. A tsunami changes the landscape. It uproots trees and plants and destroys animal habitats such as nesting sites for birds. Land animals are killed by drowning and sea animals are killed by pollution if dangerous chemicals are washed away into water bodies, thus poisoning the aquatic life

Africa is developing continent and therefore has to depend on certain resources in the environment to develop economically and as such it environment has to be protected to ensure it sustainability. Raw materials such as food, cocoa, gold, diamond, timber and energy (sun) without which production and consumption would be impossible are exploited from the environment (Daniel H., 2013).

Mining operations create enormous quantity of dust of various sizes which passes into transportation and disperse significant amount of suspended particulate matters (SPM) and gaseous pollutants into the atmosphere. These pollutants not only affect the mine workers but also affect the nearby populations, agricultural crops and livestock. Airborne pollutants of major concern released into the environment during their operations include respirable dust, sulphur dioxide (SO2), nitrogen dioxide (NO2), carbon monoxide (CO) and black smoke

Ecotourism helps to conserve the environment and it resources and increase diversity of plants and animals. As local communities begin to see their natural resources as sources of tourist income, the communities may work harder to protect those resources

. Rural-urban migration has effects on the source areas and the receiving areas, that is, the effects on the rural areas and the counter effects on the urban areas. Whiles increasing population, congestion, and putting pressure on resources in urban areas, it decreases population, inhibits developments and the like in rural areas.