Investigation launched into river degradation in Region 7

The Natural Resources Ministry has ordered an investigation into reports of river degradation from gold mining in Paruni and Mazaruni, both villages in Region Seven (Cuyuni-Mazaruni).

It was a report compiled by the Guyana Human Rights Association (GHRA) regarding environmental degradation owing to gold mining activities that prompted the action, the Ministry said on Tuesday.

“We can confirm that the Minister of Natural Resources has ordered a team comprising officers of the Guyana Geology and Mines Commission (GGMC) and the Ministry’s Compliance Division be dispatched into the affected areas in Puruni and Mazaruni in a matter of days, with a view to ascertaining the severity of the impact and the accuracy of the reports and putting in place urgent corrective measures,” the Natural Resources Ministry said in a statement.

As part of its 2017 programme, the Ministry has made the issue of compliance in all natural resources operations a high priority, noting that the Compliance Division, which was created in 2016, is now being staffed. This notwithstanding, the Compliance Division has already been integral in a number of recent compliance enforcement campaigns in collaboration with the Guyana Geology and Mines Commission (GGMC), which have resulted in the shutting down of a number of mining operations, including river mining, owing to environmental infringements, the Ministry noted.

Natural Resources Minister Raphael Trotman is said to have tasked the Compliance Division to work with other relevant stakeholders and agencies on a rapid assessment of the situation in order to formulate long-term remedial policy adjustments. This action, the Ministry said, is in addition to the plans Government has for encouraging and enforcing compliance with relevant laws and regulations and for technical interventions, including the use of dredge tracking technology and drones.

“At the inception meeting of the new Board of Directors of the GGMC on Thursday, April 13, 2017, Minister of Natural Resources, Honourable Raphael GC Trotman, MP, charged the members of the Board to focus on Environmental Management with sensitisation in the first instance and more proactive initiatives for monitoring of water quality,” the Ministry related.

It said Government recognised that mining has been for decades, and would continue to be, one of the mainstays of Guyana’s economy, and it would not shirk its responsibility to ensure that it was done in a manner that respected the environment. The statement said that as a nation, Guyana’s efforts have not been as effective as required; especially in the area where mining effluents from both within Venezuela and Guyana combine to affect our rivers.

“The Ministry is, therefore, appreciative of the vigilance of agencies such as the GHRA, and we commit to holding environmental stewardship in high regard as outlined in the Ministry’s Mission Statement: ‘To develop, implement and oversee policies for the responsible exploration, development and utilisation of natural resources whilst ensuring the protection and conservation of the environment and advancing the green economy’.”