-no penalty to be applied
Commissioner of the Guyana Geology and Mines Com-mission (GGMC) William Woolford yesterday said no penalty is likely to be imposed on BK International for its destructive activities in the Barakara Falls area, but the company is expected to remedy the situation within the shortest period of time.
BK International was licenced to conduct quarry operations in the area, but Woolford said that the company did things “which were not contemplated”. He said the Commission, in partnership with the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), visited the area on Saturday last and immediately issued a cease order. “The order was issued since then”, he noted.
Woolford declined to comment on GGMC’s impression of the site, but said the decision was taken to halt the company’s operations in the area because of what they recognized was occurring there. “They were doing things which were not in keeping with their promise to us”, he stated. The promise was that Barakara Falls would be protected from any quarry operations in addition to the company acting responsibly in the area.
Since the cease order was issued BK International has communicated to the commission its intention to restore the area. Woolford said the company is expected to remedy the situation “very shortly”. He said GGMC would not sit and look over the company’s shoulders to ensure the commitment is kept. “We would not stand and watch over them, this is a large operator who is expected to operate responsibly at all times and we expect it to remedy the situation soon”, the Commissioner added.
GGMC intends to work along with the EPA as the two agencies move forward on the issue, according to Woolford. He said BK International would also be engaged and the necessary follow-ups would also occur.
Asked how regularly GGMC conducts surveillance across the country at various mining and quarrying operations, Woolford said on a quarterly basis.
The Commission would make specific checks outside of that period provided a complaint is received as in this instance involving BK International and the Barakara Falls area. He noted that GGMC monitors close to 1,000 operations in Guyana and according to him, every operation has been mapped on the Commission’s GPS system.
“…We have a checklist and that includes monitoring every operation and inspecting for various things including health and safety assessments and environmental management”, Woolford said. He disclosed that the Commission is currently working to increase the frequency of its visits from quarterly to monthly.
BK International is currently operating in the Barakara Falls area and it recently expanded operations to the falls site; destroying the pathway to the falls in preparation for quarry operations there. The company, in its defence, argued it was forced to expand quarry operations in the area to meet the demands of the country’s building needs, which it argued currently exceed supply. The company said it was operating in the national interest since it was “a development need” and announced it would develop another area in the Mazaruni River close to its quarry operations to serve as a tourist attraction.
But tour operator, Alisha Ousman of Wonderland Tours challenged the company saying it was not authorized to conduct quarry operations at the site.
Ousman openly criticized BK International for wrecking the environment in the name of money and said that it is the country which ultimately suffers. She had previously spoken out against the company’s operations in the area and called for an end to the destruction while at the same time drawing attention to the issue.
An Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) report conducted on the area back in 2005 had mentioned that the existing trail from the river’s edge to Barakara Rapid; the falls itself and the immediate watershed (1.6 km radius) would be protected from development activity.
It also recommended that Linden Quarries, which is owned by BK International, in addition to securing the area from development “undertake intervention to enhance the site through clearing and maintenance of the trail, rehabilitation of footbridges, installation of signs, and perhaps the construction of small benabs around the vicinity of the rapid.”
