The Guyana Geology and Mines Commission (GGMC) will be partnering with the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and Guyana Water Incorporated (GWI) to investigate the reported high levels of mercury found in the Kaituma River, GGMC Commissioner Newell Dennison says.
GWI has said that tests that were done May found high mercury content in the Kaituma River, making it unsafe for use. As a result, it has ceased pumping the water to residents and plans to activate two wells in the community at Turn Basin and at Citrus Grove.
Speaking to Stabroek News yesterday, Dennison said, “This situation… is something we intend on investigating and to collaborate with the GWI and the EPA in that investigation because we would want to, as far as possible, determine at least what the levels of mercury contamination is—if there really is—and to see what mitigating measures we can put in place to treat that.”
