In keeping with a commitment made on April 18, 2017, the Ministry of Natural Resources says it deployed a team comprising Officers of its Compliance Division and the Guyana Geology and Mines Commission (GGMC) to the Puruni, Region 7 area on April 24 and 25, 2017.
The deployment followed a Guyana Human Rights Association warning on the effects of gold mining in the Puruni River, and over the border in Venezuela.
A release from the Ministry yesterday said that its team discovered a number of mining infractions being committed during their investigations along the Puruni River. As a result, the GGMC issued cease work orders for five river dredges, one cease work order for a land dredge and issued one citation for a land dredge.
The release said that the report on the wider investigation of all concerns raised by the GHRA report is being finalised for submission to Minister of Natural Resources Raphael Trotman, and further action to address environmental degradation will be taken in the coming weeks.
Once the report is analysed, it is expected that other Ministries and Agencies will be involved to find a multi-dimensional solution to a complex issue that is in part driven by mining activities in neighbouring Venezuela.
The Ministry said it remains committed to good environmental stewardship in all mining operations and urged miners to adhere to all of the laws and regulations governing mining and the environment, or face the full extent of the law.
