Minister of Natural Resources, Raphael Trotman has pledged to use his finances to provide replacement batteries for the Aishalton Secondary School’s solar energy system after being informed that the school’s solar energy panels were non-functional.
Trotman made the commitment during the recent ministerial outreach to the Rupununi, where he visited the Region Nine community of Aishalton and listened to matters of concern to residents of the Deep South community, according to a Department of Public Information (DPI) press release.
One of the issues raised was the nonfunctional solar energy panels which usually power the Aishalton Secondary School. Trotman visited the school and examined the batteries and equipment and pledged to offset the cost of the replacement batteries.
Among other pressing concerns aired were the issue of land extensions, mining pollution, land encroachment and safety, all of which the minister swiftly addressed but reminded that many of the problems had their genesis under the previous administration.
“Mining has been going on in this community for decades, so this government didn’t start the mining, and we have not been giving out concessions, everything that is being mined now was given out by the previous government, not this government,” he clarified.
The DPI release also stated that residents also voiced their frustration concerning the pollution of the water used for domestic purposes. In this regard, the minister explained that the government is taking the necessary steps to monitor the situation and formulate the necessary solution.
“Mercury is naturally occurring in the environment, and fishes have the most mercury in them… So, we are monitoring now to see whether finding mercury in fish is not a strange thing; it is normal. So, we are checking to see if there are more than normal mercury levels. The fact that the government is actually carrying out the test and publishing the results is telling you that we are concerned ourselves, so we have no desire to just allow things to happen without some intervention,” Trotman emphasised.
He also assured residents of his commitment to ensuring that they understand what can be done and to help the ministry to efficiently execute the solutions presented.
“We are looking at it, and we are working on them, and I will be back later this year to give you an update on what is going on… but I think we all agree that the mining is, or the gold and the minerals, are part of God’s given gifts to us and how we use them, we must do so in a responsible way, and each one of us has a right to partake in them,” the minister added.
Trotman further assured residents that he would investigate the occurrences of illegal practices, biases and other grave issues as he has received reports of unsafe practices and bias in favour of one group which was preventing other persons from working.
Regarding issues of land extensions and encroachment, Trotman said he understood the importance of ancestral land to the Indigenous peoples and will liaise with fellow ministers to provide the best possible solution.
“I will see what I can do to ensure that there is no encroaching on your extensions in terms of where the application is in, and work with Dr. Norton and Vice President Allicock to look at that. I will give you my word that we are not giving out any new concessions; it is the old concessions that are being worked on.”
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