Manganese company still to discuss Matthews Ridge reservoir collapse with residents
Following the partial collapse of its reservoir at Matthews Ridge, Chinese-owned Guyana Manganese Inc (GMI) is yet to engage residents despite promises to do so.
It has been just over two weeks since the reservoir collapsed, releasing a torrent of water that forced some families to climb trees in order to survive, and washed away a large section of the road that connects Matthews Ridge to other communities.
While residents suspect that the excessive amount of water stored in the reservoir led to its collapse, they said they have not been officially told that this is the cause. “It could be something else and if we are not being told what is going on, how can we move forward?” a resident told Stabroek News on Thursday.
Neighbourhood Democratic Council (NDC) councilor Noreen Bess said that shortly after the collapse, representatives of GMI told the NDC that they will hold a public meeting with residents to let them know what is going on and also, to listen to their concerns.
To date, the company is yet to provide residents with the platform they are seeking. Bess said that once the NDC has information on what is going on they will know what their next step is, noting that the breach is a serious issue especially since residents were affected.
Meanwhile, according to Bess, the company continues to repair the collapsed area of the reservoir and mining has been halted.
Before the reservoir collapsed, residents had warned the company multiple times that too much water was being stored in it, but GMI failed to heed the warnings, hence the result.
Having found that there was no proper monitoring system in place at the breached reservoir owned by Guyana Manganese Inc (GMI) in Matthews Ridge, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has issued a warning to the company, instructing them to address the issue.
Region One Chairman Brentnol Ashley noted that a compromised drainage system is suspected to be the primary cause of the collapse. He said that from all indications the company did not change the drainage pipes that were laid years ago. The integrity of the pipes, he opined, is believed to have been compromised by the volume of water in the reservoir.
The EPA had taken samples of water from the reservoir to determine whether it was contaminated but the results have not yet returned. Investigations into the matter by the EPA and Ministry of Natural Resources are still ongoing.
Natural Resources Minister Vickram Bharrat informed that the ministry has not yet considered imposing any penalties on GMI for the breaches.
“In terms of penalties we haven’t looked at that as yet. We are more concerned in getting the reservoir fixed,” he said.