Sand price increases on Essequibo Coast

…after GGMC orders Onderneeming sandpit closed
…2 years later truckers facing economic woes

By Lakhram Bhagirat

The Guyana Geology and Mines Commission (GGMC) had ordered the Regional Administration of Region Two (Pomeroon/Supenaam) to cease all operations at the Onderneeming sandpit until all the relevant permission had been obtained.
That was more than two years ago, but truckers who earned their living through the operation of this sandpit continue to express their dissatisfaction at the way the issue was handled by the GGMC. They are expected to petition Natural Resources Minister Raphael Trotman for his intervention.

Region Two Chairman Devanand Ramdatt has said the administration had received a correspondence from the GGMC instructing that the sandpit be closed because there are certain documents which the region must get before the sandpit can again be operational. He noted that since receiving that correspondence, the regional administration has organized all the relevant documents, but the process to secure permission is a lengthy one, and the time factor is important since it is the livelihood of people that is being dealt with.
“The regional administration (has) done all the paperwork to secure the land, but that takes a long time, because the document requested for the land has to go to (the Guyana) Lands and Surveys Commission, and that will take a while,” he lamented.
The Regional Chairman has met with truckers operating out of the Onderneeming sandpit on Thursday, and they have since expressed disappointment with how the entire situation was handled. The operators opined that there should have been some consultation between the Region, the GGMC and the local Neighbourhood Democratic Council, to arrive at an amicable solution to the issue.
The Regional Chairman has reported that the truckers have been forced to increase their price per load of sand by between $3,000 and $5,000, depending on where they have to deliver sand.
The current price for sand in the region ranges from $8,000 to $10,000, but can now become as high as $15,000 with the current increases, depending on the area where sand has to be transported.
The Regional Chairman has noted that this could be drastically reduced if the pit is reopened. He added that although the issue has been ongoing for a while, the concerns of the truckers are of paramount importance, since addressing those is one way of addressing the economic stagnation in the region.
“If the economy is struggling and you have this additional burden, then you are putting unnecessary burdens on our people. We met with our truck operators this morning (Thursday) and they indicated that they ought to have been consulted on the issue. We have to make sure that we work swiftly towards bringing an end to the issue. The operators are (going) to petition the minister, expressing their concerns,” he disclosed.
Regional Chairman Ramdatt has said he would have already written Minister Trotman seeking his intervention, but he has been informed that that letter never reached the minister. He added that it is his intention to pen another letter to inform Minister Trotman of the overall negative economic impact the decision to close the sand pit has been having on the region.
He reiterated that it is an additional cost factor that burdens the already struggling citizens of Region Two, and he said that decisions regarding the development of the region would have to be made in light of the issues that plague the region.
“So, in the meantime, as a recommendation as was done in the past, we, as the Region, can continue to manage an area to extract sand. To carefully manage how it is being extracted and how the environment is being utilized temporarily until these paper works (have been) processed.
“We are hopeful that the minister would grant the permission to reopen the pit. So if the permission is granted to reopen, we will set up a committee to monitor the operations until the relevant permission is granted (from the GGMC),” Ramdatt explained.
The truckers have expressed their support for this proposed solution, since they see it alleviating their economic burden and assisting other residents who have to pay more per load of sand.