Bosai accepts responsibility for oil spill in Linden

Bosai operation in Linden
Bosai operation in Linden

additional spillage suspected; investigation launched

By Utamu Belle

Bosai Minerals Group Guyana Incorporated (BMGGI) has accepted responsibility for a recent oil spill in the Demerara River surrounding its operations in Linden.

Following a meeting between the privately owned bauxite company and the Region 10 (Upper Demerara/Berbice) Democratic Council (RDC) on Monday, BMGGI community relations officer Vanessa Mitchell-Davis noted that the Chinese-owned mining company will do its part by putting necessary systems in place to ensure there is not a recurrence.

RDC councillor Sandra Adams who was part of the meeting, said the company was advised by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to include an additional pond at the point where the company’s waste oil is being collected, in an effort to further protect against possible future spills.

BMGGI was recently ordered to conduct a cleanup by EPA, as a result of the spill caused due to negligence of an employee.

Following the spill, several farmers of the Dalawala (Upper Demerara/Berbice) community had complained that their produce were adversely affected, however not only by the recent spill, but what they noted to be a situation that occurred over the past few years.

However, Mitchell-Davis indicated that there appears to be signs of oil coming from elsewhere, apart from the recent spill from the company. Similar sentiments were echoed by Regional Chairman Renis Morian, who also formed part of the meeting.

“For all you know we might be sitting on oil in Linden and don’t know. This is not being funny because they (farmers) showed Bosai signs that oil has been seeping from somewhere; it’s either we got some old storage that got oil seeping whether the Aluminium Plant or Omai Wharf or maybe the best of everything… It’s in our best interest to find out where this thing is coming from so that we can address it and I’m hoping that it’s a sign that we got oil in Linden”, Morian told reporters afterwards.

Morian applauded the company for taking responsibility for its actions. He said an offer was extended for an officer within the RDC to be a part of a tour of the plant. A proposal, he noted, was also made by the administration on behalf of affected farmers in which the company made a promise to hand over fertilizers in an effort to assist.

Meanwhile, Adams noted that RDC in conjunction with Linden Mayor and Town Council (LM&TC) would further investigate the source of the apparent additional oil.

“Bosai would have updated us that the EPA is fully involved with them. They have done some corrective work. They would have done some mopping up of the oil.

There’s not much more for us to worry about out there, but they would have assured us that in their investigations they also would have found out… it may not all be completely Bosai fault because going down river, they saw more oil and we will endeavour from the Regional standpoint in collaboration with the EPA and Bosai and the LM&TC to investigate further, so that we prevent any such spills in the future. They would have also promised to do a little more in terms of involving and informing the community on the way forward, in anything that they’re going to be doing or if there is any disaster…”, she said.

The RDC councillor said the meeting between the two parties went well, while stating that Bosai’s general manager made a promise to look into fostering better relations between the company and the community.

BMGGI’s GM Robert Shang, Mitchell-Davis and environmental technical services coordinator Wainewright Bethune also formed part of the meeting.