The Ministry of Natural Resources (MNR) and the Guyana Geology and Mines Commission (GGMC) have made a commitment to remove the dredge lodged in the Kuyuwini River, Upper Essequibo, in the event the owner fails to do so.
The announcement by the government agencies was made yesterday, in a statement responding to concerns by the South Rupununi Development Council (SRDC) raised over the presence of the dredge in the river. “…Should this not be done in the agreed time, the GGMC will employ its own expertise and resources and effect removal of the structure,” the statement said. The agreed time was not provided and efforts by this newspaper, seeking clarity on the timeline proved futile.
The agencies further highlighted that the suggestions of mining activities occurring in the river bear no truth and the matter is under control.
Last week, the SRDC said “no concrete steps” have been taken to address the presence of the ‘dragga’ at Parabara Village, South Rupununi, despite “numerous commitments” from the GGMC and MNR.
However, the MNR yesterday said that after the matter was brought to their attention an investigation was launched in collaboration with the GGMC and an order was issued for its removal, in June 2019.
During a follow up visit in late August by Mining Engineer Donnell Perry and Mines Officer Nial Gravesande, it was observed that one river dredge was parked on the left side of the Kuyuwini River. There were no signs of disturbance of the river banks or turbid water and the dredge showed no signs of being recently worked.
“On the part of the GGMC and the Ministry, there is evidence from pictures of the dredge and the observance that the dredge has not operated. However, the visit also revealed that there was no fuel present and there was insufficient skilled manpower to effect immediate removal of the dredge from the location,” the statement said yesterday.
On September 10, the GGMC met with the operator of the dredge and requested that the dredge be removed.
During the meeting, the statement said, the operator indicated that he has put measures in place to mobilise fuel to the area and have the dredge removed.
“…the operator indicated that arrangements were made to move the dredge by shipping fuel into the area. However, the fuel supply which was temporarily stored at Karaudarnau was lost to a mysterious fire,” the statement explained.
SRDC last week said that on September 8 it had received information indicating that the dredge was moved some distance away from its original position. It was also noted that “a pontoon carrying almost 400 drums of fuel for the operations of the ‘dragga’” was travelling alongside. “After receiving this information, the SRDC sent in its monitoring team to verify that indeed the ‘dragga’ was returning. However, the SRDC has received confirmed reports from its monitoring team that the ‘dragga’ has indeed moved further down river,” the statement said.
In the first article published by this newspaper on the presence of the dredges in the river, it was reported that that dredge owner indicated that he would have to source approximately 40 drums of gasoline to move his operations from the area where it was operating at the time.
SRDC Chairman Nicholas Fredericks had told this newspaper that at least 17 miles of palm trees were wiped out from the river since the dredge has been operating there. This, he said, indicates a negative environmental impact since it is not trees alone that are destroyed but habitats for wildlife. MNR has said nothing about the claims of the 17 miles of palm trees being destroyed.
At the time the SRDC had noticed a dredge working 125 miles down the Kuyuwini River from Parabara.
“The reports of our monitoring team indicate that the ‘dragga’ operator is openly defying the order of a GGMC officer, a 2008 governmental order, and a decision of Cabinet,” the SRDC had stressed.
