-noted efforts at conscious mining

Minister of Transport and Hydraulics Robeson Benn on Friday assured over 200 miners at Mahdia that at no time government had engaged in discussions to stop mining, rather it had been seeking ways to make it sustainable, particularly within the framework of the LCDS.

“No government would attempt to create a position where we would not improve the livelihood of its people, no government would attempt even for bureaucratic reasons to avoid bringing in the taxes, royalties and all the things which counted as a result of the mining activity,” he said, in his address to the Region Eight community. Benn, who also chairs the Land Use Committee, told mining operators that government was seeking to ensure a secure and sustainable livelihood for citizens, a Government Information Agency (GINA) press release said.

The minister assured the meeting that government would never attempt to reduce the efforts in the mining industry especially as it relates to small and medium-scale miners who are mostly Guyanese. He also noted the tremendous contribution the sector has made over the past year, after miners had undertaken certain steps to boost their conditions, livelihoods, communities and country. Benn said Guyana has recorded significant achievement in the sector and this has contributed to ensuring that the economy remains strong.

In explaining the importance of the Low Carbon Development Strategy (LCDS), he said it had been designed to position Guyana as a responsible partner with the rest of the world as it faces the challenges presented by climate change. Benn said the initiative is crafted to find ways of ensuring that any degradation or impact on the forest is at a minimum. “If we are not working to optimize the relations between forestry and mining between those who work in the forest, we will not be doing the responsible things to ensure a proper sustainable future for Guyanese,” he said.

Benn also said under the initiative the administration will also be optimizing its use of trees. “If you destroy the trees without any opportunity for using it, we Guyanese would lose it and since we are an integrated people and an integrated economy it meant that everybody would lose it,” he said. Noting that there are no service right holders in Mahdia, he said notification has to be given to the Guyana Geology and Mines Commission (GGMC) to ensure that a database is created to show the impact of the forest, location of people and what they are doing. According to GINA, operators raised several concerns including deteriorating access roads, drainage along roadways and filing of claims and verification for mining blocks among other issues. In response Benn said the GGMC along with the Ministry of Works is spending millions of dollars to build roads in the interior and mining districts while ensuring that the vital corridor between Lethem and Linden remains open. As it relates to the claims and verification of mining blocks, the minister pointed out that once a claim has been filed it is subject to verification.

Meanwhile, acting Com-missioner of the GGMC William Woolford noted that mining has a long history in the region and that it has been contributing significantly to the development of the area. He said about 150 operations are established in the area and these employ thousands of persons. Also, the Potaro area has been the number two producer of gold and diamond for the entire country.

As regard environmental management, Woolford told the meeting that there is need for responsible mining, respect for community relations and occupational health and safety. Over the years rapid growth ahs been recorded in the sector which has created an enabling environment for expansion.

GINA said officials from the Guyana Forestry Com-mission also attended the meeting.