…call on EPA to conduct Environmental Assessment to determine impact

RESIDENTS in Houston Gardens, Rasville and Roxanne Burnham Gardens are up in arms against the setting up of a chemical warehouse in Industrial Site, Georgetown, and are now demanding that the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) puts a halt to it.

Though indicating that it is a “no, no” for them, the residents on Saturday said a Sectoral Environmental Assessment should be conducted to examine the cumulative environmental, social and economic impacts on residents and the surrounding areas, and that report should influence the Environmental and Social Impact Assessment (ESIA) to be conducted by EPA.

Earlier this month, EPA announced that Nalco Champions Guyana, an international oil and gas company, applied for ‘Environmental Authorisation’ for the operation of a chemical warehouse facility at John Fernandes Ltd. Inland Terminal at Industrial Site, Ruimveldt, Georgetown, and for the transportation of chemicals from the Inland Terminal to John Fernandes Water Street Port. The chemicals would thereafter be transferred to the Floating Production Storage and Offloading (FPSO) vessels offshore Guyana.

“The facility at the Inland Terminal facility will be engaged in the filtration, storage and warehousing of oilfield chemicals to supply the Floating Production Storage and Offloading (FPSO) vessels, offshore Guyana. The proposed operation estimates that 1,493,000 kg of specialty and commodity chemicals will be imported and stored onsite and will occupy 5,000 square meters with the intent of extending to 20,000 square meters as oil production expands in Guyana,” the EPA explained. The agency said it is within its remit as outlined in the Environmental Protection Act, Cap. 20:05, to conduct an Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) before any decision to approve or reject the project is taken. From the date of publishing the notice (July 4), members of the public have 28 days to make written submissions on the planned development.

On Saturday, while addressing reporters at Houston Gardens, a short distance from the proposed site, residents of that area and neighbouring communities objected to the proposal. Civil, Geotechnical and Groundwater Hydrology Engineer, Charles Ceres, who lives in Houston Gardens, explained that the residents have already made their written submissions, objecting to the chemical warehouse being set up in that area.

They have provided more than 13 reasons why the chemical warehouse should not be erected in Houston Gardens or anywhere in the city. Noting that Industrial Site is an unsuitable place to have a chemical warehouse, the residents pointed out that thousands could be affected if there is a chemical leak, many of them children.

In addition to the fact that residential communities are located in the westerly, northerly and easterly directions of the proposed chemical storage facility, the residents are contending that there is no evacuation plan or any system for effectively warning residents of any dangers to human, animal, or environmental health, that can occur anytime at the warehouse.

“All lands in Houston Gardens, as well as their surrounding areas, are zoned as residential and or agricultural,” they further pointed out, and urged that the Environmental and Social Impact Assessment (ESIA) includes confirmation from the Central Housing and Planning Authority (CH&PA) and the Guyana Lands and Surveys Commission (GLSC) on whether lands identified for the warehouse has been altered to reflect commercial or industrial purposes.

Ceres told reporters that prior to this most recent submission, residents had written EPA twice before, with the first letter sent in June 2018 but have not received a response to date. He explained that in those letters, residents of Houston Gardens and neighbouring communities asked that a Sectoral Environmental Assessment be conducted to examine the cumulative environmental, social and economic impacts on residents, and the surrounding areas of all developments planned by the current owners/leasers of the land in the Houston area.

“We expect that Sectoral Environmental Assessment will precede this ESIA they are talking about because that Sectoral Environmental Assessment is going to inform whether or not any kind of development of this nature should be taking place in Georgetown,” Ceres told reporters.

He and the other residents complained bitterly that industrial developments are taking place in Houston Gardens without their input. According to the engineer, failure to consult residents is an indictment on the part of CH&PA and the Georgetown Mayor and City Council’s Engineering Department. “I think you know, in their quest to earn money, people in Guyana consider money to be more important than class and I say this simply because what I am seeing reflected here is people’s desire for money fueling the absence of interest for the ordinary people in Guyana,” Ceres posited.

Houston Gardens aside, Ceres contended that the players involved in the setting up of chemical warehouses have disregarded the health and safety of persons living in communities such as Rasville, that are in close proximity to the identified area. “What they are looking at here is the proximity of Rasville, so they figure that the people in Rasville, they are not important, their lives don’t matter. I think that this facility might be better cited in Subryanville where the owners of this inland port live,” Ceres told reporters.
He said it is imperative that CH&PA analyse the entire development of the area designated for the warehouse, and to consider, like the EPA, the cumulative impacts.

Ceres expressed concerns over possible leakage of chemicals such as Benzene, Toluene, Ethylbenzene and Xylene (BTEX), and the evacuation plan in place, if any. “Now we have no idea how much is going to be released, how much is going to be stored. Another issue for people, that in order to transport the chemicals, they have to pass through communities in Georgetown. What if there is a spill on the road, let’s say Albouystown, those people don’t matter,” he reasoned. Ceres asked too where persons would be evacuated to if all Georgetown is affected, including the hospitals. These questions, he emphasized, must be answered.

Candida Williams, an educator who also resides in Houston Gardens, said demulsifiers or emulsion breakers and asphaltene inhibitor are among other chemicals that are expected to be stored at the warehouse, if Nalco Champions Guyana is to proceed with its operation. That, she said, is a cause for concern, noting that residents are concerned about the severity of the chemicals.

“If there is a leak or escape of the chemical in the atmosphere, we have an issue, and we have recognised that Nalco does not have an emergency plan, all they have is a plan for their employees but they don’t have a plan for their neighbouring environs. Today, we are here, we are humbly requesting the EPA to not permit this particular facility here because it is going to have some serious environmental impact on our lives,” Williams said.
Dr. Rohan Jabour, also of Houston Estates, said that the recent chemical spill in Houston, Texas, is a good example of what could happen in Georgetown if this warehouse is allowed to be constructed.

For Ramesh Dookhoo, it is a serious economic and business concern, noting that Banks DIH, one of Guyana’s leading beverage companies, depend heavily on ground water. “We have five wells in the vicinity of D’Aguiar Park and Thirst Park; the whole company (Banks DIH) depends on water for its business…. This is a serious issue in the proximity of a food and beverage plant, five food and Beverage plants,” Dookhoo explained. He noted that the matter will be reported to the company’s overseas franchise holders and international experts will guide the company on the way forward.

Juliet Julian of Roxanne Burnham Gardens and Emmanuel Bevney, said regardless of the assessments done, the erection of a chemical warehouse in that area or anywhere near to the city is no for them.

In its submission to EPA for approval, Nalco Champions Guyana said safety is its highest priority. “The health of people and protecting the environment are our highest priorities. Working to exceed the standards of national and local environmental regulations, we are always refining our safety processes and programs, identifying opportunities for improvement, and providing employees with the information and resources they need to make changes. Noting is more important than making sure people go home safely,” the company said.