Against the backdrop of a statement issued by the Office of Minister in the Ministry of Natural Resources and the Environment earlier this week alluding to damage to the bank of the Potaro River arising out of illegal mining activity, the Guyana Geology and Mines Commission (GGMC) has issued a statement reminding miners that the mining of river banks (buffer zones) is against the law and prohibiting such activity “without due consideration of and specific consideration from the commission.”
The notice from the GGMC also coincides with confirmation made to this newspaper by an industry source that “river bank mining” was “a common form of illegal activity” in the sector. “The extent to which the GGMC can actually enforce that order in the absence of proper policing is really the valid question,” the source said.
Last week, the office of the minister issued a release on the matter of the mining of river banks directed to “all miners, but more particularly large-scale miners, to operate in a manner that is friendly to the environment and to ensure that they operate within the