Residents of Canal Bank, Region One on Friday called for swift action over the pollution of their main source of water by mining.
On Wednesday, in light of the pollution and with mining week well underway, the government announced $80M in aid to the Guyana Water Inc (GWI) for a water treatment plant to be constructed in the area.
On Friday, residents told Stabroek News that the pollution of the Kaituma Canal and Creek has been a continuous occurrence and are afraid that if not addressed urgently there would be an outbreak of water-borne infections. Already there have been complaints of vomiting, diarrhoea and skin rashes.
A team of officials from the region, residents and at least one representative of the Guyana Geology and Mines (GGMC) visited the area earlier in the week to investigate the source of the contamination. It was after this that the government announced the $80M initiative.
Contacted, Region One Vice Chairman Fermin Singh told Stabroek News that he is aware of the situation but he said that it may be as a result of mining activities and the heavy rainfall experienced by the region recently.
“It is a result of mining. The rainfall heavy too”, he said while noting that when he was in Port Kaituma last week he heard several complaints about the water.
While acknowledging that this situation is an ongoing one, he said that the region, central government, GWI and other stakeholders are trying to address the problem. Singh said that the short term solution is to drill wells and that an initiative is being undertaken to find the best locations for these.
He stressed that until this becomes a reality, mining in the area should be restricted or should even cease. “It (mining) should be restricted until the wells are drilled. There is nothing more that we can do in the short term. They should cease mining in that area until we have the water problem resolved”, he said.
Based on what this newspaper was told, residents of Port Kaituma are also being affected by the situation as they have their water supply pumped to their homes from the creek.
Canal Bank resident John Ashby who has been living in the area for 11 years said that the situation is “terrible terrible. We are very affected here”. He said that four days ago he called the police at Port Kaituma to complain about the quality of the water as he did not know who to call. The police according to what he said could not provide much assistance and he contacted former APNU Region One Parliamentarian, Richard Allen. He said that he also collected samples of the water. He explained that if one allows the water to stand for a bit “you see something looking like starch at the bottom with water at the top”.
The man insisted that the contamination is as a result of bad mining. He said that there are about 80 households in Canal Bank and each one has children. He said while the contamination is an ongoing problem, this time around it is worse. He said that there is little that they can do to access clean water as most residents cannot afford to buy water tanks to collect rain water.
Meanwhile, Allen who lives in Port Kaituma expressed dismay at the situation. He also laid the blame at the feet of miners and stressed that stricter measures ought to be put in place to ensure that the rules are followed.
He said too that it is the responsibility of the administration to ensure that residents have access to clean water.
Allen noted that residents in both communities use water from the creek for household chores, drinking and cooking.
The first signs of pollution, he said appeared 15 days ago. He said that persons living on the Canal Bank started to complain to their community development officer.
He said that by this time the operators of the pump at Port Kaituma realized that the water was contaminated and stopped pumping. He said that usually what happens in his community is that water from the creek is pumped straight to homes, schools and the hospital.
According to Allen, on Thursday he was part of a contingent that comprised a mines officer and regional officers that travelled up the creek to assess the situation. He said that they found a tributary where the contaminated water was coming from but were unable to reach the source of the pollution. He said that another attempt will be made to return to the area.
He said that previously an order was given for persons to protect their waste from their mining operation by building dams. “It seems they have not complied”, he said adding that it is the GGMC that is responsible for mining. He said too that it has been confirmed that the pollution is as a result of mining.
“I am surprised that such a thing is continuing to happen. This is not the first time. GGMC is aware of this issue. They were involved before…GGMC has to ensure they (the miners) are in line”, he said adding that in Port Kaituma given the present situation, residents are depending on rain water.
He said that residents of Canal Bank are sourcing their water from other small creeks which are far away from their homes.
A Government Information Agency report on Wednesday said that the Ministry of Natural Resources and the Environment is to provide $80 million towards a water treatment plant in Port Kaituma in light of pollution of the main water source as a result of mining.
Minister of Natural Resources and the Environment Robert Persaud who was in the community at the time for an interactive session with miners, said “we also knew there is an issue of water supply and we did not sit back and say this is a GWI problem although GWI has been making some efforts,” as he revealed the $80 million support.
Persaud added that the Ministry has been working along with GWI because it realises that the water source will pose some difficulties, especially during the dry season.
Persaud said the initiatives taken by the Ministry show its interest in supporting development in the mining community. “We don’t want to only tell miners to produce more and what we have been doing to improve mining conditions, but also we look at how we can work with other Government agencies in supporting socio and infrastructural development.”
Persaud said as a part of the Ministry’s interest in the development of mining communities, a lottery will be done so that Port Kaituma miners will have more access to mining properties. He further urged miners to ensure mining is done in an environmentally sound way, GINA reported.