With no mining operations in the Haieka River, along which the communities of Chinoweing and Wax Creek are located, teams investigating fish deaths in the area did not test the water for mercury, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) said yesterday.
However, in a statement, the EPA said it is currently collaborating with the Health Ministry, the Amerindian Affairs Ministry and the University of Guyana through the Centre for Study of Biological Diversity to further investigate fish deaths in the Kako, Kamarang, Quebadang, Waramadong, Jawalla and Phillipai communities. It added that during these investigations, further testing, including tests for mercury, will be conducted, in order to determine the cause of the fish deaths of the single fish species in these areas.
The EPA statement was prompted by questions raised in a letter to the editor, by Alfred Bhulai, published by Stabroek News, about whether testing was done for the presence of mercury in the waterway, following recent investigations into possible pollution of the Haieka River.
According to the EPA, there are no mining operations in the river, while the closest mining operation is located downstream in the Mazaruni River and its investigators did not test for mercury since river pollution generally travels from upstream locations, and that there are no mining operations above Chinoweing.
The Ministry of Health had noted last week that toxins from decaying worms are believed to have been responsible for an outbreak of gastroenteritis in Chinoweing in November last year.
While the ministry noted the findings of tests of samples taken from humans, Bhulai, in his letter, noted that there was not a single report of what tests were made of the water.
In response, the EPA yesterday stated that tests were conducted for several water quality parameters: dissolved oxygen (DO), chemical oxygen demand (COD), pH, conductivity, turbidity, total dissolved solid (TDS), salinity and cadmium. It was noted that the results indicated that dissolved oxygen was below acceptable limits; while COD and cadmium were slightly above acceptable limits as stipulated by the World Health Organization (WHO) and United States EPA recommended levels for drinking water.
The agency stated however, that the results do not provide a conclusive explanation for the death of only one fish species in the area.
The residents of the community of Chinoweing have expressed concern over the presence of dead Yarrow fish in the Haieka River and nearby waterways. The residents noted that the issue had affected their livelihoods, since many persons have discontinued the use of fish, a main staple in the Akawaio community. Several persons have complained of symptoms associated with gastroenteritis when the matter was reported by this newspaper in November last year and the Health Ministry had dispatched teams to investigate the issue.
Another high level team of officials had travelled to the Region 7 area several days ago to update residents on the findings of tests conducted on stool and blood samples late last year while the officials were also expected to carry out health information meetings with the residents.
