Diesel spill in South Rupununi creek prompts call for protection measures
Approximately 30 drums of diesel were recently spilt into a South Rupununi creek following a recent accident, alarming the South Rupununi District Council (SRDC), which says measures have to be implemented to protect the area’s waterways.
In a statement on Friday, the SRDC, which is the representative body of the 21 communities in the South Rupununi, voiced its “grave concern” over the resulting pollution of Ikaazupu Wao (“creek”), which falls within Aishalton Village’s titled lands, saying that it will likely harm both wildlife and the livelihood of several villages.
It noted that that the spill occurred on October 10th, when a truck, owned by V. Dalip Enterprise and carrying over 100 drums of fuel, reportedly broke the Ikaazupu Wao bridge, resulting in the vehicle toppling over and spilling approximately 30 drums of diesel into the creek.
The creek flows into Tooto Wao, which in turn flows in to Kwitaro River, the SRDC pointed out, while adding that residents of Aishalton, Awarewaunau, Maruranau and Shea depend upon the river ecosystem. “This fuel spill and pollution of such critical waterways will harm our fishes, wildlife, and livelihoods. Our people fish and hunt in these rivers and creeks,” it added.
According to the SRDC, the catastrophe serves to reinforce the need for the effective development and implementation of the headwaters protection plan already agreed upon between the Ministry of Natural Resources and the SRDC. The plan for the protection of the headwaters of the Kwitaro and Kuyuwini Rivers, it noted, is currently under discussion between the Ministry and the SRDC and would ban mining in and near those rivers and aim to preserve the health of those waterways. “We look forward to working with the Ministry to jointly develop and implement this important measure for the protection of our waterways, our environment, and our land, and we hope it will serve as a useful model for other communities in Guyana as they struggle with their own mining-related issues,” it further noted.
Additionally, the SRDC said the spill illustrates the concerns raised at the recently concluded National Toshaos Council (NTC) Conference. SRDC Project Coordinator Kid James, who had expressed concerns about the damage that mining trucks and excavators have caused to transport infrastructure in the South Rupununi, had recommended that the Government of Guyana review and improve its policies and laws on mining, including on the way mining concessions are issued and on the environmental, social, human rights, economic, and infrastructural impacts of mining. “Importantly, the Government of Guyana must also improve the enforcement of laws and regulations. The review and improvement of these laws, policies, and enforcement measures must be done in conjunction with indigenous peoples, who are the ones most impacted by mining activities,” the statement said.
James’ statements, the SRDC added, were echoed by representatives and Toshaos of other communities and regions in Guyana, and the final resolution of the NTC Conference reflected these concerns and included associated recommendations.