Chemicals used by Bea Mountain Mining Corp may be poisoning water in 10 Grand Cape Mount communities.

May 24, 2022: It has come to the attention of Africa Environmental Watch, Inc. (AEW), that 10 communities in Grand Cape Mount County report their water source, the Mafa River, has been contaminated by chemicals used by Bea Mountain Mining Corporation. There have been disturbing reports on the mysterious deaths of animals and fishes from the river. Unconfirmed reports indicate this could be due to *high toxicity levels* emitting from Bea Mountain’s mining activities.

AEW is deeply concerned for the public's well-being and respectfully suggest the following to the Liberia Environmental Protection Agency:

• Institute a mandatory moratorium on Bea Mountain operations in that vicinity.

• Conduct a public educational awareness campaign to advise the residents to not eat any fish from the river and not drink any water without pretreatment.

• Test the water to determine toxicity levels to determine appropriate decontamination protocols.

This is not the first time the residents of these villages in Cape Mount have raised concerns about Bea Mountain. We know the Government of Liberia through the EPA seeking the wellbeing of these affected communities. Therefore, it is our fervent hope this matter is addressed as soon as possible because the residents' lives may be at stake.

Moreover, please bear in mind not only do the residents of these affected communities rely on the river's fishes to eat, drink and for recreation, this river should be clean because people from these communities rely on fishing as a means of income.

We cannot overstate the importance of addressing this problem right away. AEW strongly recommends the Ministry of Health’s Toxicity Department to begin testing people in the community to determine if anyone has been infected. Please feel free to let us know if we can help. Thank you for your kind consideration and take very good care.