Dear Editor,
I am a concerned gold miner from Bartica, Region Seven (Cuyuni-Mazaruni) who has a work force of over 40 persons currently. I am writing to highlight a situation that is happening with a pontoon that sunk in the channel of the Mazaruni River.
Approximately three months ago, a “Draga” as this pontoon is called, owned by a popular mining company, ran aground just at the top of the Piremap Falls in the Mazaruni River.
Initially it was out of the channel, but after efforts were made by the company to remove it from its position, it shifted into the channel. That is when the problem started! The company left it there for weeks at a time and then would make a halfhearted effort to salvage it, then once again retreat and not be seen for a while.
All the time, workers and supply boats that work for, and service over 50 mining operations located above the Falls, had to use whatever way they could to gain access to their mining camps, which includes manually fetching supplies over rocky and dangerous terrain, and in some cases, in waist deep water just to survive. I am concerned about the non-action by this company which seems to be above the law as they continue daily to live in total disregard for the inconvenience their sloppiness in handling this situation has caused so many miners.
Let me also mention the operations of the two jet boat services that service the locations have been completely halted, putting almost 60 workers out of a job and the secondary school children that normally use the jet boat service to return to their school at Bartica are stuck.
I call on the relevant authorities – the Natural Resources Ministry, the Education Ministry, the Maritime Administration, even the Public Health Ministry – God forbid we get some sort of medical emergency, to please do something.
One is being led to believe that because the main principal of Crown Mining supplies is a national sportsman and carries a lot of clout in the Government and also the mining associations, they are being allowed to do as they feel.
Once again, I do hope this situation is looked at with urgent attention by the relevant authorities.
Regards,
Miner
(Name and address
withheld)
