– Lindeners turn to media for help in resolving the matter

SEVERAL Lindeners on Tuesday engaged the media to vent their disapproval of the presence of two “water draggers” on the upper Demerara River.
They also used the occasion to vent their disappointment at the inaction of those in authority to do something about having the vessels removed despite multiple calls by the regional officials on the issue.
Regional Chairman Renis Morian said residents initially held him responsible for the “draggers” being on the river, but now that they’ve realised that the matter is out of his hands, they’ve turned to the media for help.

17 DAYS NOW
It is now 17 days since the two “draggers”, while on their way to the Great Falls area to do gold and diamond mining, were intercepted by regional officials and the police.
The “draggers”, a pontoon of sorts used to help flush out the minerals, were docked aback Watooka and some Brazilian miners were taken into custody, but were later released.
Investigations have revealed that the two vessels belong to Pure Diamond Mining Company, and were issued licence to mine by the Guyana Geology and Mines Commission (GGMC).

Region 10(Upper Demerara – Upper Berbice) officials are, however, adamant that no mining is to be done in the Demerara River because such an activity poses as a significant environmental threat to the 18,000 residents of Linden since it is their main source of water. They also contended, and rightly so, that the Demerara River is equally important to the residents of the up-river communities, as they depend on the water for drinking and other domestic purposes without passing it through a filtration system.

SLAP IN THE FACE
On Tuesday, residents of Linden described the granting of a water mining licence to “Pure Diamond” without the necessary environmental impact assessment being done, as a slap in their faces.

Gomer Wilson, a Linden resident, said he fears that the “draggers” will contaminate the water they use for drinking purposes, and that it is imperative that the powers that be do something to stop it.

“We as the people in Linden, we do not want such an activity in our community,” Wilson said, adding: “I would like the President of this country to look into this; also the Prime Minister because this is a slap in the face of the people of Linden.”
“If you are going to do something, do it in order; the people in Linden will take action. We do not want this thing in our river! We want it removed at the end of this month, if not, there will be consequences!”

Oscar Hector held the same position as Wilson, and also highlighted the fact that the water is sourced for drinking, and therefore foreigners should not be allowed to come and contaminate our waterways. “Things like that should not happen to cause so much of sickness in the community; we need it to stop immediately,” he said.

River-front taxi driver, Robert Green said that there are procedures that all mining companies, whether foreign or local, have to adhere to before setting up a mining operation, but if the Brazilian miners did not go through the procedure, the operation should be ceased.

“Whatever chemical they are using to extract the minerals,” he said, “can be dangerous to our health, and as such the activity should be discontinued. Our lives are at stake, because a lot of people down the river use that same water as it is,” Green reasoned.

President of the Linden Chamber of Industry Commerce and Development Victor Fernandes, speaking on behalf of the private sector, reiterated that the Chamber is not against investment and business, since it will create jobs and contribute to development, but this must not be done at the expense of the community.

“We don’t want development at the expense of our community; what we going to gain will be peanuts in comparison with what we will lose,” he posited. As such, he’s calling for the environmental impact assessment to be submitted for review.

When the “draggers” were intercepted on July 24, the Brazilian miners did not have work permits and their passports have expired since July 25.

Morian has called for the GGMC to get its act together, and for the inclusion of or consultation with the local agencies in matters such as this. He questioned the power of the local organs since the elected representatives cannot make decisions or enforcements to protect the well-being of the electorate.