“The GGDMA is alarmed that such a decision has been taken without consultation, and the fact that GGMC did not even have the courtesy to officially inform the GGDMA,” an ad by the GGDMA management committee in the Sunday Stabroek yesterday said. The committee criticized the regulatory body and registered its disapproval. “The association is disappointed with the decision by government that because of the apparent inefficiencies and incompetence of GGMC to carry out its mandate, the actions always recommended by the said GGMC, is to punish the mining industry,” it said.
In a statement on Thursday, the GGMC said that it has been overwhelmed by reports from stakeholders of damage caused by “increasingly irresponsible mining in Guyana’s rivers and tributaries” and this is what has led to a cessation of approvals of river claims. The GGMC said that as a consequence of the reports, and a review of the negative impacts of river mining, the Ministry of Natural Resources and the Environment, through the GGMC, decided against accepting any new applications for river claims until further notice and consultation, particularly, with Amerindians and riverine communities. Effective June 1, no application for river claims has been processed by the agency.
“We have decided that with immediate effect we will not be processing nor accepting any new application for mining claims in rivers and in tributaries and that will be done until we would have carried out the necessary analyses, engage a wide cross-section of stakeholders and based on the outcome we will determine the way forward,” Minister of Natural Resources and the Environment, Robert Persaud told reporters on Friday.
But, the GGDMA said that before “unilateral actions” are taken “there should be an investigation as to why GGMC is not carrying out its mandate, and if necessary, discipline those that are not performing or cannot perform.” The association said that “this Peter paying for Paul policy” should cease and non-consultation with the representative body of the gold and diamond mining industry, the GGDMA, should not be permitted to continue. It questioned whether the decision is in keeping with the existing laws. “It must be noted that claims located are considered valid, until verification. There is no processing of an application before the miner can commence working the claims located,” the association said.
According to the GGDMA, it is the right of any Guyanese to locate a claim, whether land or river in any of the six mining districts and to register an application stating the location of the claim(s) with the GGMC. “The notice that GGMC will not be processing river claims retroactive to June 1, 2012 denies Guyanese citizens of their basic rights,” the association said.
Jawalla
Pollution and degradation of rivers have been longstanding issues. Stabroek News has reported on the issue numerous times following visits to interior communities. During a visit to Jawalla in the Upper Mazaruni, Region Seven earlier this year, residents said that the river had been discoloured for a number of years. The extent of the pollution was obvious at the confluence of the Mazaruni and Kako rivers where the contrasting colour of the waters could clearly be observed. The Mazaruni water was discoloured and filled with sediment while the water of the Kako River was clear. Even so, many at Jawalla used the water from the Mazaruni for domestic purposes and some even drank from it. The discolouration had increased in recent years, residents said.
Asked by Stabroek News about what would happen to those operations that are currently working and some of which have caused the pollution of rivers, Persaud said that if an operation is found to be in conflict with environmental regulations, a cease work order would be issued. The issue of the limited personnel at the GGMC was also raised but Persaud said that “we have a fair complement”. He said that the environmental management division of the GGMC is being boosted and he has ordered the Environmental Protection Agency to be much more vigilant and responsive to complaints and they have increased their presence.
Earlier, he had acknowledged that the authorities did not have a firm grip as they would like on the situation. “We have close to 4000 (active river claims) and if we were to increase that without developing the capacity to properly manage what we have, I think it will be negligent on our part,” he said. Persaud said that there were several hundred applications on file. “We are closing the file as of now until…we have a firmer grip on the situation,” he said. He stated that the ministry wants the review to be done in the shortest possible time but does not want a “rush job.” International agencies and non-governmental organizations will be involved, he said.
With regards to the active operations, he said that the ministry will work with them to clean up their act.
The minister also said that surveillance will be upped as military aircraft will be brought into play. He said that the ministry is on the verge of concluding a memorandum of understanding with the Guyana Defence Force which will see the ministry having at their disposal, the recently rehabilitated Bell helicopter, the Cessna and Caravan aircraft as well as private aircraft “to support better surveillance.”
Persaud said that the Ministry has started the process of engaging stakeholders and the matter is being discussed at various groupings. He said that a technical sub-committee looked at the matter and it was discussed at the level of the GGMC board with the Chairman, Joe Singh reviewing the issue. The minister said that the decision will not affect production since it focuses on future operations and not existing ones. He said that this year is expected to be a significant one for gold production. As to whether alternative mining claims on land would be made available, he said that it has been done in the past and it is always a useful tool at their disposal.
Addressing the issue of smuggling, he pointed to the MOU with the army as well as the encouragement of better collaboration with related agencies in Venezuela and Brazil. Persaud has also been in touch with his Surinamese counterpart. He said that soon, invitations for proposals to do a comprehensive study on smuggling will be out. He said that “guesstimates” of gold smuggled out of the country range from 150 000 ounces to 300 000 ounces but he was not sure of the figure and the study will help to determine this.
