Several persons have fallen ill as residents of the community of Chinowieng in the Cuyuni/Mazaruni express concern about the apparent pollution of a nearby river.
Reports are that within the past two weeks, the residents of the community which is located south of Imbaimadai, observed dead fish floating in the nearby Haieka River. The river, which is a tributary of the Mazaruni River, is a hunting ground for villages for fish, a staple in the communities there.
Stabroek News was told that persons began to experience various water-borne ailments, including diarrhoea and vomiting sometime this week after using water from the river and they have since lodged complaints with the village authorities on the issue.
When contacted last evening, Minister within the Ministry of Health, Dr Bheri Ramsaran told this newspaper that he was not aware of this report. He said that the Health Ministry was going to establish radio contact with the community to find out if the information is correct. He said too that he will be in touch with the health teams attached to the Regional Health Services in order to have them be on alert for any eventuality. At the same time, Region 7 Chairman, Holbert Knights noted that he too was unaware of the situation.
A source at Bartica noted yesterday that miners who operate in the area had related to her earlier this week that the water along the Haieka River was being polluted by a mining operation. She said that the miners did not indicate to what extent the water was being polluted but she noted that persons living along the river had reported that the waterway was discoloured at certain sections.
Chinowieng is approximately one hour from the Haieka River by foot and several persons live along the river banks.
According to Laura George of the Amerindian People’s Association (APA), several worried residents contacted the body by radio recently as the frequency of dead fish floating in the water increased. She said that residents depend on the waterway for fish and she noted that they have been unable to determine the cause of the situation.
The levels of the waterway are usually high at this time of the year.
