The suspension by the state of the special mining permit to the Aranaputa Neighbourhood Democratic Council (NDC) is an unvarnished victory for the work done by the media and community activism. However, the assigning of the permit in the first place to the NDC raises questions about the oversight by the Ministry of Natural Resources and the Guyana Geology and Mines Commission (GGMC) of mining pacts in ecologically sensitive areas.
While the history of the permit goes further back, it first came to wide public notice on March 10th when the Department of Public Information (DPI) posted what can only be described as a bare-bones press release which has since been amended on its Facebook page.
It said that following extensive consultations, the Aranaputa NDC had entered into its first mining agreement with a foreign investor — Sol Nascente Incorporated.
It added that signing the agreement were NDC Chair Gillian Rodrigues and Sol’s Director Luis Antonio. Minister of Amerindian Affairs Pauline Sukhai and Legal Officer from the Ministry of Amerindian Affairs Miriam Andrew-Ming witnessed the ceremony.
That was the extent of the information provided by DPI. There was no description of the “extensive consultation”. No information was provided on the type of mining that Sol Nascente Incorporated was to do. Neither was there any information on the company and it was not possible to readily find any information on it on the internet. DPI is privy to all of the government comings and goings and information is then curated for release to the public. This is another example of why the Access to Information Act should function properly instead of being in the disgraceful state it has been for years under PPP/C governments.
On March 11th , Stabroek News published the news item on the permit and then set about trying to acquire more information on the mining project. No information was available. On March 17th it spoke to the Chairman of Region Nine, Bryan Allicock and residents of the community who were incensed at the project. On March 18th a news item was published railing against the project with Mr Allicock contending that it was not attended by an Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) and that there was grave risk to farming lands, wetlands and ground water from mining effluent.
On the same day the news item was published by Stabroek News, the GGMC disclosed that the permit had been suspended.
Deputy Commissioner of the GGMC, Jimmy Reece stated to Stabroek News, “The special mining permit issued to the NDC has been suspended today by the Minister of Natural Resources, Vickram Bharrat. This decision follows a meeting with North Rupununi residents who raised concerns about the project and its environmental impact. The agreement between the NDC of Aranaputa and the operator is not available to me at this time for further comment.”
It may well be that the alacrity with which the government acted is connected to the fact that general elections are not far away and no risk is to be taken in upsetting the North Rupununi. It is also possible that influential farming families in Region Nine might have been able to impress upon the government that mining should not be permitted.
However, it is the explanation given by the Minis-ter of Natural Resources Vickram Bharrat on the granting of the permit that raises concerns about the government’s conduct in this matter. In a video post on the DPI Facebook page he was keen to clear up that the permit in question could not be granted to a non-national, in this case the Brazilian company Sol Nascente. The permit was granted to the Aranaputa NDC which was within its right to engage a foreign partner.
How was the permit agreed? Minister Bharrat said he had been written to by the NDC requesting a permit for mining. He said he then visited the village and held a meeting at which the majority of those in attendance were in favour of mining. The mining permit was then confirmed. He added that communities surrounding Aranaputa then complained about the impact of the mining on their activities and he was instructed by President Ali to visit the area and speak to residents. After speaking to residents, he said that the government had decided in favour of suspending the permit.
He gave no dates for the request from the NDC for the permit, the date of his visit to Aranaputa to assess whether it should be given or the actual date of the permit. The question must be asked: over the period between the request from the NDC and the approval of the permit was there no thought given by the Minister or the GGMC to the prospect of the fouling of the precious Rupununi wetlands, ground water and farming communities by mining? What considerations led to the awarding of the permit? Was there any cogitation that a mining permit would attract an influx of miners given the high price of gold? Was there an understanding that if the NDC embarked upon mining that an EIA would then be mandatory? What about a role for the often quiescent Environmental Protection Agency? Were they engaged by the minister for any discussions? Didi the minister or the GGMC engage with community and environmental groups on their concerns?
There is still a lot more to write about this particular permit but in the meanwhile North Rupununi has won a reprieve from what could have been a disastrous venture.
