AS the year comes to a close, the EPA takes this opportunity to reflect on some of its major accomplishments during what can be deemed as a challenging yet rewarding 365 days. From improvements to its monitoring capabilities, to the historic appointment of female leadership, the agency has much to be proud of.

Administration
In June, the EPA welcomed a new Executive Director, Mr. Kemraj Parsram and a historic first Deputy Executive Director, Ms. Sharifah Razack.

Establishment of Complaints Unit
Under the management of the new executive director, a unit dedicated to managing environmental complaints was established. This has allowed for officers to solely focus on the receipt, investigation, and resolution of concerns shared by members of the public.
* NDC Capacity Building exploratory meetings and workshops
* Meetings with key stakeholder agencies – the Ministry of Home Affairs, Ministry of Local Government and Regional Development, Georgetown Mayor and City Council.
Complaints can be submitted by telephone 225-5469, email at complaint@epaguyana.org, on our Facebook page EPA-Guyana, or walk in to our offices in Georgetown, Berbice, or Linden.

Acquisition of air-quality sensors
Chief among environmental complaints, is that of air quality. The Environmental Protection Agency is required under Part VIII of the Environmental Management (Air Quality) Regulations to establish an Air Pollution Monitoring Index for any area in Guyana. As part of its mission to improve monitoring of environmental parameters, the agency moved to procure air-quality monitors.
IQAir has donated five (5) Air Visual Outdoor (AVO) sensors to monitor air quality.
– Three of the sensors are currently in the process of being installed within Regions Four, Six and 10.
– The sensors continuously monitor PM2.5, PM10, PM1 (PM- particulate matter) and CO2 (carbon dioxide).
– Each unit will cover a radius of 20-25km and a performance accuracy of 82%. The data collected by the sensors will be published on the IQAir website.

Review of the Environmental Protection Act and associated regulations
As the Act has been effective and functional since its establishment, the world is constantly changing, both for better and for worse. In light of that, despite the act has been in effect over the years, there is room for improvements. Hence, the revision process has been ongoing by the agency’s legal representative and appropriate staff to have the Environmental Protection Act and associated regulations improved, as we continue to efficiently manage, conserve, protect and improve the environment, prevent or control pollution, assess the impacts of economic development on the environment, sustainably use our natural resources and other related matters in Guyana.

Improved monitoring capabilities
Through 2021 the EPA has worked tirelessly to improve its monitoring capabilities. As such it has successfully;
* Built the Environmental Management & Monitoring Information System that aims to amalgamate environmental data from EPA as well as other agencies. This project will be launched soon;
* MAXAR : Liaison with Maxar ‘s Crow’s Nest for Marine Vessel Monitoring optically;
* Skytruth & Earthdata : Near Real-time monitoring of heat signatures to detect and quantify flaring and illegal fires /burnings;
* SkyWatch: Partnership with Skywatch for on demand satellite tasking anywhere in Guyana for monitoring of all environmental parameters as well as access to their archive catalog of satellite imagery;
* Ongoing partnership with Skytruth’s cerulean for alerts of slicks & spills offshore; and
* Partnership and launching of support services with fisherfolk.

We wish you and your families the very best in the coming year.
You can share your ideas and questions by sending letters to: “Our Earth, Our Environment”, C/O Communications Programme, Environmental Protection Agency, Ganges Street, Sophia, GEORGETOWN, or email us at: eit.epaguyana@gmail.com. Follow us on Facebook and Instagram and subscribe to our YouTube channel.