Mali has suspended the informal practice of gold dredging for one year and gold panning for three months for environmental reasons, starting June 15, the mines ministry said on Monday.
Dredging and panning produce 10 to 15 tonnes of gold per year according to government figures, versus 60 tonnes from the industrial sector.
The move is a first step in a potential plan to outlaw gold dredging for good because chemicals used in the process, such as mercury and cyanide, contaminate rivers and pose a health risk.
(By Tiemoko Diallo and Juliette Jabkhiro; Editing by Edward McAllister and David Evans)