Amidst increasing unease in the gold mining sector over the industry’s future, the government has said that to date it has not signed on to any international document or made any commitment on the banning of mercury and will continue to engage all stakeholders on this issue.
The international community is working to reduce the production and global sales of mercury and a ban on mercury exports from the 27-nation EU bloc came into force last year, while a similar mercury export ban in the US will come into effect on January 1, 2013. And earlier this month, over 500 representatives from governments and civil society organizations gathered in a United Nations-backed meeting in Punta del Este, Uruguay, the fourth of five meetings to negotiate a global treaty that would reduce the use of mercury.
Local miners have become increasingly vocal in recent times as the US ban approaches, calling for the authorities’ intervention and assistance in finding alternatives. The EU and the US are two of the major exporters of mercury. Other suppliers include Brazil, Kyrgyzstan, Russia, Slovenia, the Netherlands and the Ukraine while China, also a producer, has ceased external sales under domestic regulations that confine its use to local industries. Up to last year, Kyrgyzstan was the only country with an active mercury mine that continues to market the product internationally without any known plans to cease exports. Other international producers of mercury are recyclers, securing most of the material from discarded fluorescent bulbs and thermometers and other equipment and appliances.
In an ad in the Sunday Stabroek headlined ‘Setting the record straight in the mining sector’, the Ministry of Natural Resources and the Environment said that the government and the Guyana Geology and Mines Commission (GGMC) have not taken any decision to place a ban on the use of mercury. “The government is currently lobbying for provisions/obligations from developed countries, for adequate financial, technical and capacity building mechanism to support developing countries and countries with economies in transition, in optimizing economic benefits without the use of mercury but with a phasing-out transition process,” the ministry said.
It noted that several international environmental and health organizations including the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) and the World Health Organization (WHO) have identified the adverse effects of mercury pollution and have classified it as a serious global environmental and human health problem. The UNEP Governing Council has targeted reducing methyl mercury accumulations in the global environment as a major priority, the ministry said while pointing out that the GGMC participated at the recent Fourth session of the intergovernmental negotiating committee to prepare a legally binding instrument on mercury in Uruguay.
The attendance and participation will enable the authorities to be involved in discussions and interactions with representatives of government, research agencies, civil society and other stakeholders in the negotiation process that will help to develop and recommend solutions to key challenges facing the sectors that are applicable to Guyana, the ministry said. Of particular relevance will be the development of a global, legally binding instrument on mercury which is part of the holistic plan to have the industry adapt to a changing world, it said.
River mining
In addressing another contentious issue, river mining, the ministry emphasized that there is no ban on river mining. It noted that concerns with regard to river mining were highlighted by many communities and organizations and while there is no ban, there is an ongoing review of the current management/oversight arrangement of river and tributary mining and the position of not accepting for one month any new applications for river claims until the review was completed and recommendations tabled for discussion and decision, was taken.
It was noted that that environmental concerns relating to river mining were discussed by the ministry, the GGMC and the Guyana Gold and Diamond Miners Association (GGDMA) and the meeting agreed to the setting up of a technical joint working group that includes the GGDMA, EPA and the GGMC to carry out a review in one month, of environmental issues and concerns pertaining river and tributary mining.
The ad also emphasized that the GGMC, the ministry and the government do not want mining to fail in Guyana. It pointed out that technical support is given to all miners by mines officers and via the Technical Assistance to Miners Programme. Geologists are sent to miners to assess sluice boxes and pits to determine the grade of material being worked and they provide gold recovery percentages free of charge, it pointed out.
In addition, in the area of mineral processing, research to improve recovery rates and provide alternatives to mercury is being done by the GGMC. The cost of such research is very high but the technology would be transferred to miners, the ministry said. It also noted that the GGMC sponsors an environmental officer who is embedded with the GGDMA to provide assistance to miners. Also, the GGMC sponsored a field trip to Suriname for miners to view reclamation activities.
The ad also noted that the government and the commission continue to fund the University of Guyana mining programme to provide trained persons to work in the sector. At the same time efforts are being made at establishing the mining school to be based in Linden to provide for the needs of the mining industry, it said.
Meanwhile, the ad said that over the past few weeks there have been numerous claims that the ministry and the GGMC have not been consulting with stakeholders, particularly the GGDMA and Guyana Women Miners Organisation (GWMO). It denied this and said that there is documented evidence that will prove otherwise.
According to the ministry, Minister Robert Persaud and/or the GGMC met with representatives of the mining sector every month since the establishment of the Ministry. It said that Persaud and the GGMC have kept their commitment of having full-fledged extensive discussion/dialogue and the last two were held on May 16 and July 10. In addition, both the GGDMA and the GWMO attended and made special presentations at the GGMC’s Retreat to review the strategic plan of the Commission and by extension, the future of the mining sector, the ad said.
It stressed that the ministry and the GGMC remain firmly committed to close collaboration and even enhanced consultation and dialogue with the mining community. “Claims of lack of consultation and involvement between the regulatory agency and the stakeholders have no basis and the series of meetings held represent sustained active and constructive consultations,” it said. The ministry added that the GGDMA has a presence on the GGMC Board of Directors, the Guyana Gold Board, Technical Sub–Committees and other ad hoc working groups relating to matters within the mining sector.
Further, the ministry said that recently, the GGDMA was invited to submit their representative to a technical working committee to review the river mining issue. “While a commitment has been made by the GGDMA, the nomination is still outstanding. Further, on July 20 invitation was extended for the GGDMA to have another nominee sit on the Board of the GGMC. Also a commitment was made for the GWMO to have a representative as an observer on the deliberations of the GGMC Board,” the statement said.
With regards to the way forward, it said that the ministry and the GGMC remain resolute in the implementation of their mandate, in accordance with the Mining Act and Regulations, to ensure the effective management of the mining sector for the benefit of all stakeholders. It said that to enhance dialogue and better understanding of the government/GGMC’s policies and actions, the minister and a high level team from the commission will once again be visiting all the mining districts over the next several weeks to interact with miners and other stakeholders.
“We remain firmly committed to close collaboration and enhanced consultation with the mining community. And urge operators in the sector not to be misled by the unwarranted attacks by a few individuals who want to manipulate the Commission to serve their own agendas and interests,” the ministry said.
