Table 1.

Overview of the 11 galamsey types found within selected DMAs in Ghana’ Western Region [1]

Broad galamsey categories	Galamsey types	Key resource/material use	Water relation	Comments
1. Placer/alluvial	1. Washing Plant	Washing plant/trommel, excavator, mercury, diesel, petrol and lubricants	Operates near water bodies and requires high volume of clean water for operation	Simultaneous mining and gold extraction
	2. Washing Board	Washing/sluice board, excavator, mercury, diesel, petrol and lubricants	Operates near water bodies and requires high volume of clean water for operation
	3. Anwona or Pit Dredging	Pits, Suction Dredge, mercury, mercury, diesel, petrol and lubricants	Operates within mini pit lakes or mine-out pits and require water
	4. Stream/River Dredging	River/Stream, Suction Dredge, mercury, mercury, diesel, petrol and lubricants	Within water bodies-with adequate current
	5. Dig and Wash & 6. Panning (“poolepoole”)	Pan, shovels, pick axes, manual, sluice board, mercury	In wetland areas, rivers/creeks/streams banks
2. Underground mining	7. Abandoned Underground Shaft/Tunnels	Shaft, blasting, dewatering, load and haul of ore	Underground/land-locked areas	Mining Only
	8. Sample Hole/Pit or “ghetto”	Manually dug out pit, blasting, dewatering, mining	Underground/land-locked areas
3. Mill house	9. Mill-house Operation	Chan Fa Engine, Crusher, Smoothing Machine, Retort, Mercury, Hydrocarbons	Land-locked areas; near road side, within urban centers or may be near mining sites	Processing Only
4. Chamfi/surface operation	10. Chamfi	Chan Fa diesel powered engine, mercury, retort, mercury, diesel, petrol and lubricants	Land-locked areas; either near or far from water bodies…but requires water for operation	Simultaneous mining and gold extraction
5. Selection (“pilfering mining”)	11. Selection (normally from LSM & Licit ASM sites)	Manual selection, Chan Fa, mill house, mortar & pestle/sluice board	Land-locked areas; either near or far from water bodies…but requires water for operation	Mining Only