MR. KISSOON Dyal, owner of a rice mill at Chelsea Park, Mahaica, East Coast Demerara, was last month issued with a Cease Order notice from the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) pursuant to residents’ complaints of dust and noise pollution from the factory.
Executive Director of the EPA, Mr. Indarjit Ramdass, in a letter dated February 13 which accompanied the cease order, said the EPA has been actively involved in attempting to resolve issues associated with dust and noise emanating

from that entity, but the mill has not implemented the agency’s recommendations, leaving the EPA with no alternative other than to issue the cease order, which instructed that all activities related to the operations of the rice mill be ceased immediately, until certain recommendations are implemented.
Mr Dyal has been warned that further legal action would accompany failure to comply with the cease order.
In a telephone interview with the Guyana Chronicle yesterday, the Executive Director of the EPA advised that the EPA has instructed Dyal to put systems in place to fix the problems associated with the pollution caused by the rice mill. Until then, he said, it is to not be operated.
He advised that the EPA is in constant contact with Dyal to ensure that he is complying with the conditions; and he said the agency would also be routinely visiting the facility to confirm same.
Agriculture Minister, Dr. Leslie Ramsammy confirmed in a recent interview with this publication that the operations of Dyal’s factory have been closed after the EPA’s previous efforts to get the owner to take the necessary actions proved futile.
He noted that there were two such issues in the Mahaica area, the other being at Cane Grove, which according to him “seems to have resolved itself.” However, he noted that there has been an ongoing issue with the rice mill at Chelsea Park, Mahaica due to dust and noise pollution.
In an interview with the Guyana Chronicle, owner of the rice mill, Mr. Kissoon Dyal, said he is currently carrying out the required modification works to his factory, as requested by the EPA, to alleviate the pollution issues.
He stressed that his mill has not been closed down, but rather, the operations have just been stopped for a while so that he can fix the problems.