An illegal dredge being established at Parabaru in the Rupununi, Region Nine (Upper Takutu-Upper Essequibo) is one of the recent threats to the Indigenous community, prompting actions to cease this operation.
The National Toshaos Council (NTC) would have raised this matter with the Natural Resources Minister, Raphael Trotman, during a recent meeting at their Hadfield Street headquarters.
NTC Chairman Nicholas Fredericks
Trotman told media operatives that mining matters were primarily discussed and the Guyana Geology and Mines Commission (GGMC) has also informed that the dredging area is being established without any permission.
“The Council sought to mention some mining matters. One matter pertains to a dredge being constructed at Parabara, that’s deep south of the Rupununi. I’m aware of the matter and, in fact, GGMC has informed that there is no permission for such a dredge and so, we will have to take action,” he said.
Trotman said he had given assurance that mining activities should not affect Guyana’s waters. In most scenarios, mercury is being used to mine these natural resources and later released into rivers, causing some biological effect to aquatic animals.
“I have given a commitment to ensure that the headwaters, some waters in that part of Guyana are not contaminated by mining and so that is of plotting the coordinates to protect the river from river mining.”
Natural Resources Minister Raphael Trotman
Presently, a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) was signed between the NTC and the Council and the NTC Chairman, Nicholas Fredericks, suggested that a taskforce be recruited to address some of the mining challenges which spread across numerous villages.
“We have a MoU with the Ministry and the NTC to appoint a personnel as their counterpart. The suggestion came from Mr Fredericks for a taskforce so that the NTC can look at mining. It’s not just the Rupununi, its Mahdia, Micobie Village, parts of Kaituma and elsewhere,” Trotman related.
Nevertheless, he sought to point out that while there are complaints surfacing from Indigenous villages regarding illegal mining or pollution, Toshaos and other members of the community would give permission to the miners when the matter is investigated. For this, the NTC is enabling itself to mitigate these issues by engaging the villagers and mining agencies.
The Minister shared, “Mining is a part of the culture and part of the foundation for the pillars of our economy and there are complaints of illegal mining or pollution of waters by the use of mercury. What we find is that title villages are themselves engaged in mining as coast landers. I think the NTC recognises that and they’d like to be a buffer between the miners and the GGMC. Many times we respond by sending mines officers to check on reports of illegal mining and we find out that the Toshao or some relative gave permission for people to come into the village or they themselves are doing the mining”.
Parabaru is a small indigenous community located in Region Nine, along the Kuyuwini River. The village was founded in 1969 and at that time, only six households occupied the village. This number has grown significantly via migration from other communities. The residents’ first language is Wai-Wai; second, Wapishana; and third, English.
