-GGMC

The Guyana Geology and Mines Commission (GGMC) intends to turn down applications for mining licences in the Rewa and Rupununi rivers, Commissioner William Woolford says.

Retired Major General Joseph Singh, in a letter to this newspaper recently, had said that information obtained from reliable sources indicated that over three hundred mining claims have been registered in the Rupununi and Rewa rivers. He had noted that both rivers are tributaries of the Essequibo River and lie in the heartland of Guyana’s rich and unique biodiversity.

Singh, in expressing concern had pointed out that the Rewa River bisects an ecosystem that is sandwiched between the Kanuku Mountains – a proposed protected area; the North Rupununi wetlands – a proposed Ramsar site; the Conservation Concession in the Essequibo River and the Iwokrama Rain Forest Reserve.

Questioned on Singh’s observations recently, Woolford acknowledged that the GGMC has received applications for claim licences for river locations in portions of the Rewa and Rupununi Rivers. “We have informed applicants of our intention to refuse the applications for such licences”, he told Stabroek News. He declined to say how many applications were received.