Mercury imported into Guyana for use in small and medium-scale gold mining will be capped at 1,000 flasks or 34,500 kilogrammes per year, with importers allowed to import a maximum of 150 flasks of mercury at any one time.
The new quota is well above the average amount of mercury imported annually into Guyana over the past five years but represents a major reduction from the amounts imported annually during the height of the gold rush in the 2008 to 2013 period. The amount is to be gradually reduced and importers as well as users will have to provide a range of information that will allow for stricter management of the chemical and they will have to also subject themselves to inspections.
The new annual quota and other requirements are contained in a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU), which was signed between the Ministry of Natural Resources (MoNR), the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), the Guyana Geo-logy and Mines Commission (GGMC) and the Pesticides and Toxic Chemicals Control Board (PTCCB) yesterday. The agencies are seeking to have tighter control of the importation, storage, distribution and usage of the mercury in the country.
“The MoNR, GGMC and the PTCCB shall agree annually to a capped amount of mercury to be imported for use in the small and medium scale gold mining sector, starting with an amount of 1,000 flasks/34,500 kg per year. This amount shall be used as the base quota, which will be gradually reduced, contingent on the projected gold declaration in the small and medium scale gold mining sector, the streamlining and implementation of alternative technologies and techniques to mercury use and as agreed by the parties,” the MOU states. It outlines a number of criteria that importers must meet before importation is approved.
Among these is that, in line with regulations, “Every importer who sells mercury, shall submit along with their request letter to GGMC, the name of the companies/miners that the mercury will be resold [to], their dredge licences number and the provision of one-year data on the previous quantities they have received or were issued for the year and the balance of mercury stock on hand.”
The government and its partners will work assiduously to reduce the incidence of mercury use without jeopardising or diminishing the value and significance of mining, Minister of Natural Resources Raphael Trotman said at the signing of the MOU. He indicated that the determinants regarding the transition to a mercury-free environment is based not on economics but on national willpower. He recalled that Guyana’s journey towards a mercury-free country started in 2013 after the country expressed and acknowledged the dangers and hazards of mercury and made a commitment towards its elimination by signing on to the Minamata Conven-tion, the global treaty to reduce production and usage of the chemical.
President David Granger, in 2017 at the 1st Conference of Parties to the Minamata Convention on Mercury, which was held in Geneva, Switzer-land, had reaffirmed Guyana’s commitment to eliminating the use of mercury by 2027.
Trotman yesterday said that the signing of the MOU is a testament to the institutionalisation of Granger’s commitment and Guyana’s adaptive actions towards addressing the use of mercury in the country.
“We are working assiduously on the completion of our National Action Plan as per our obligation under the convention and through a participatory multidisciplinary and multi-sectoral approach. We have also identified gaps in our efforts towards the holistic implementation of the convention and gaps which are hinderances, at this time, to our alignment with our responsible mining initiative,” he added.
Trotman also noted that the MOU is built on policy coherence and coordination through a cross-government approach in addressing the multidimensional nature, use and adverse effects of mercury. By working collaboratively, he said, they will be able to create a platform to build synergies and leverage resources for the national implementation of the Minamata Convention as they proceed and progress on the Green State Development Strategy.
“We are still on that pathway [to] making mercury history in Guyana. The government is steadfast and we continue to preserve and keep the momentum of creating a safe and clean environment and to protect the life and livelihoods of people by addressing the dangers of mercury use,” he said.
He concluded by stating that while mining is very good for Guyana, mercury used indiscriminately is bad for the country. The government and its partners will work assiduously to reduce the incidence of mercury without jeopardising or diminishing the value and significance of mining and miners, he said.
‘Register’
Meanwhile, GGMC Commissioner Newell Dennison, in brief remarks, applauded the mining sector, which, he said, has been responding to the objectives of responsible handling and use of mercury.
“Without understanding and cooperation, things that are attempted by regulators become ineffective. What is being done by coordinating of relevant agencies is all in keeping with the intent of the Mining (Amendment) Regulations of 2005 that refer to the need for special and careful treatment of this poisonous substance, including the maintenance of a register for inspection of the stock of mercury involved in the mining operation,” Dennison said.
He said that an essential objective of the MOU is to record the influx and distribution of the chemical in the country and from the point of view of the GGMC, this will provide reliable information for Guyana’s strategies in the pursuit of fulfilling the goals of the Minamata Convention.
Among the provisions in the MOU is one for a register to be maintained by miners. “The GGMC shall ensure that owner or manager of any claim or mine, in which mercury is used, shall enter or cause to be entered in a register to be kept for that purpose. The record shall show the date of receipt, the date of issue, quantities received or issued, and the balance of stock on hand and the signature of the receiver or issuer, as the case may be. The data from the register shall be shared bi-annually with all parties and used to guide the decisions by the Honourable Minister on the amounts of mercury to be imported into Guyana,” it states.
Dennison also highlighted that they have been recording the amounts of mercury imported over the last several years. During this period, he said, the peak stood at 87,000 kilos one year but has since significantly decreased and according to him, last year only 10,000 kilos were imported.
“The idea I believe now with the register being put in place, we will be able to have a better handle on what the stock is supposed to be,” he said.
The GGMC chief also disclosed that the Standard Operating Procedures for their mines officers in the fields will also be updated as they will have to check where the mercury is stored, whether the persons have relevant personal protective equipment and whether the mercury is being used according to guidelines.
Executive Director of the EPA Vincent Adams and Registrar of the PTCCB Trecia David-Garnath also made brief remarks at the event.
Among other things, the MOU outlines the procedures to which the identified agencies will comply and also seeks to improve communication among the agencies with regards to the importation, storage, handling, resale and use of mercury in Guyana.
The range of activities include the identification of the source of mercury, documentation to be shared with the parties, packaging, inspection, handling, transportation, storage – including types of storage containers and the amount of mercury to be stored in each, conditions for resale and customer information including the intended use of the mercury.
