Miners Must Minimise Environmental Damage - King

The Geology and Mines Commission and the environment agency are moving to arrest wanton environmental destruction in gold and diamond mining areas. Head of the Guyana Natural Resources Agency, (GNRA), Mr Winston King, says the agencies have set up a joint committee to assess the situation and draw up guidelines for mining operations. Of immediate concern is the use of diverless dredges or “missile pumps” and releasing mercury in streams during gold mining. King says the authorities also have to look at the process of ‘cyanide leaching’ employed by big mining companies. The aim of the assessment is to minimise and correct the negative impact of the dredges and chemicals on the environment. King argues development is a priority and the environment cannot take precedence over the exploitation of natural resources. “The development of natural resources in general cannot have zero impact on the environment and developing natural resources carry risks,” King said. He added, however, that any negative impact on the environment must be held to the barest minimum and where possible, corrected as quickly as possible. There have been reports from mining areas of adverse effects on communities from the diverless dredges and chemicals, and laws are to be drawn to regulate their use. The Mines Commission and environmental agency have been mandated to treat the assessment as a matter of urgency, King says. The GNRA Head last Sunday met with some members of the Guyana Gold and Diamond Miners Association and the group will be allowed to give its views on the subject. King said he talked about the environmental impact with the association and told Stabroek News “wanton destruction’ would not be officially tolerated. The association’s Executive Secretary, Mr. Edward Shields, described the meeting with King as a familiarisation encounter and said the group has submitted a package of proposals which has to be negotiated. King said calls by some small miners for local financing and foreign exchange allocations to import equipment has to be looked at and a regime worked out. “There will always be a role for local miners and they will get concessions and incentives, some of which could benefit foreign operators too.” King pointed to the number of local companies getting into mining through big joint companies investing millions of dollars and said the role of the traditional porkknocker is becoming marginalised. Plans to push mining include moves to increase the amounts officially declared and the gold recovery rate. The annual ‘Miner the Year’ award and seminar might also re-introduced, King said.