As the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) continues to probe who was responsible for depositing waste oil into the Demerara River, Head of the agency Kemraj Parsram yesterday said that it will be engaged in periodic surveillance to monitor possible dumping spots.
“We note some areas where there may be possible dumping sites for people and we will do intermittent
surveillance as far as practical,” Parsram told Stabroek News. He noted that the EPA is trying to establish whether this is a frequent activity.
The need for surveillance is seen as critical as persons have been able to successfully escape any prosecution.
A recent probe by the agency found that a large quantity of waste oil was dumped into the Demerara River. Due to the lack of surveillance, the EPA is still to determine who is responsible for the recent disposal on the Kingston seashore, Georgetown.
Parsram said that from their investigations the contents tested found evidence of waste oil and not crude oil as had been speculated in some quarters.
“It wasn’t crude oil…nor fresh oil from oil production. Somebody dumped waste oil around the place and we have to find these people. So anybody see people doing this should report so we can deal with them,” said Parsram when contacted.
Earlier this month, water in the area was discoloured from the traditional light brown to dark brown. This observation prompted persons to question whether it was crude oil which had surfaced in the area.
Fishermen, who frequent the area for leisure fishing activities had told Stabroek News that the substance in the water could have been sewage discarded by waste disposal companies.
The Civil Defence Commission had said its checks had revealed that the substance was animal fat. The assessment team witnessed no crude oil in the area, nor any slick or sheen, the CDC had said in a release.
