Akawaios and Arekunas will lose livelihoods with hydro project – Int’l report

Aug 10, 2010 News

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A planned hydro project at Turtruba in the Upper Mazaruni, will see indigenous Akawaios and Arekunas lose their livelihoods and land, becoming refugees, a report released by Survival International stated yesterday as International Day of the World’s Indigenous Peoples was being observed.
Survival International is a global non-government organisation based in the United Kingdom.
The report stated that Guyana’s Energy Minister summoned five Akawaio tribe leaders in 1973 to inform them that their communities were going to be flooded by a hydroelectric dam on the Mazaruni River, and that they had no choice but to consent.
One of the Akawaio men refused to agree, but the other four signed a statement of acceptance on behalf of their communities. When the rest of the Akawaios learned what had happened they were outraged, and within a month all but one of the statements had been withdrawn.
The Mazaruni dam was shelved after a high profile international campaign by the Akawaio and Survival International.
“Today, the Guyanese government is poised to approve a new hydroelectric dam project on the Upper Mazaruni, which is very similar to that of the 1970s. If the dam is built thousands of indigenous people, including the Akawaios and the Arekunas, will lose their livelihoods and land, becoming refugees,” the report stated.
The report recommends that all hydroelectric dams on tribal peoples’ land should be halted unless and until the tribes have given their free, prior and informed consent to the project.
It also recommends that no new hydroelectric dams should be developed where they affect tribal peoples’ territories unless and until the tribes’ collective land ownership rights have been recognised and they have been fully and independently consulted, and have freely given their consent.
Enman, a team of professional engineers and technologists specialising in energy efficiency improvements, carbon pollution reduction and energy supply contracts, had signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the government to lead a consortium of major international companies in the development of a US$2 billion hydroelectric power plant on the Mazaruni River in Guyana.
Prime Minister Samuel Hinds and Enman’s Managing Director, Donald Baldeosingh, signed the Memorandum of Understanding on July 31, 2001.
This Memorandum of Understanding provided a two-year period of exclusivity for Enman to fully evaluate the technical, financial, economic, social and environmental potential of developing the project.
This project was conceptualised by Enman after a review of the findings of a 1976 study which was funded by the United Nations, to identify the most viable hydroelectric sites in Guyana.
On September 3, 2001, an amendment to the Memorandum of Understanding was made to allow for the development to take place at Turtruba on the grounds that the site offers a larger power plant, lower construction cost, and easier access by locals to be employed.
The project was expected to generate up to 1,100 megawatts (MW) of power using the waters of the Marshall Falls located upstream of the Turtruba Rapids on the Mazaruni River and to supply aluminium industries which were being considered as part of the project. Additionally, direct sale of power to Brazil was being explored.
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Social protocol and etiquette training programme underway

Every argument has two sides and the argument of courtesy versus discourtesy is no different. There are those who say that old-fashioned courtesies are slowly disappearing – opening doors for others, giving up one’s seat in a crowded waiting room or rising as a woman leaves the table are no longer the practices but rather the exception.
The flipside of the coin contends that times have changed and people no longer want these courtesies, in fact, to indulge in these acts may actually cause some embarrassment.
Phillipa Morrish, a certified Protocol Consultant, believes differently. Morrish began a four-day Social Protocol and Etiquette Training Programme yesterday at the Pegasus Hotel.
The course is aimed at educating Professionals, although there was another that taught the basics of social and professional etiquette to school leavers earlier in the month.
The premise behind Ms. Morrish’s Programme is that whether or not certain courtesies are considered necessary here in Guyana, the rest of the world expects them. If persons are travelling for commerce, they are expected to follow certain rules of decorum observed by professionals at an International level. Meanwhile, right here at home, any effort to provide service to International clientele will also require professionals in service industries to act with decorum.
At the opening of the Programme for Professionals yesterday, Terence Holder, highlighted what he called “a certain coarseness and crude behaviour” from the younger generation, particularly young men. He spoke of the days when “it felt good to seat a young woman, to open the door for her” things that, he pointed out, do not seem to happen anymore.
Holder went on to highlight that the situation has gotten to the point where the behaviour of young people has forced older people to distance themselves. He also pointed out that the level of crudeness is even worse when dealing with persons who have a lot of money. These persons, he contended, feel that because they have money they do not need social graces.
Holder lauded the work being done by Ms. Morrish and pointed out that training of this sort is needed everywhere, not just in the tourism industry, since social protocols are a necessity the world over.
Everything from handshakes and physical appearance to carriage and posture when sitting, standing or walking will be examined by Morrish in the programme.
She will also look at dining in a number of settings that a young professional may come up against such as formal dinners and business lunches. The right protocols for introducing oneself in different circumstances including considerations of rank and status.
One technique she intends to focus on is the art of ‘mirroring’ to put a person of another culture at ease and at the same time avoid committing any faux pas that may offend that person.
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Light vehicles permissible to traverse by tomorrow

Light vehicles, barring any severe weather, are expected to start moving again on the Linden/Lethem Road, as early as tomorrow as workers attempt to repair almost eleven miles of damaged roadway.
Yesterday, the Ministry of Public Works and Communications explained that the critical sections of the roadway are being addressed with especially two areas.
At “Cork Wood”, located 178 miles from Mabura/Rockstone Junction between Iwokrama Gate and Bush Mouth, the damage is over 500 feet long.
Already, the Ministry said, MMC, a contracting company responsible for that stretch of road, is mobilised in the area and working to correct the deterioration. These works should be completed by today.
Another area of concern is the Hunt Oil section, some 240 miles from the Mabura/Rockstone Junction. Over 10 miles of roadway in this area is badly damaged by flood waters and rains, the Ministry said. “This deterioration is caused by the overtopping of water that comes from the mountains located northwesterly of the road.” The contractor, V. Dalip Enterprise, is working to fix the problems, the Ministry assured. These problems could be fixed as early as tomorrow to facilitate the movement of four-wheel drives, minibuses and pickups.
With Lethem also facing a fuel shortage because of the road closure, the Ministry said that arrangements are in place to facilitate the passage of oil tanker trucks or even have them exchange fuel to pickups.
Last week, government in a press conference had announced the closing of the road to facilitate repairs after heavy rains and flash flooding damaged several sections.
A key bridge, located some 30 miles from Kurupukari, and a washout area some six miles from Mabura/Rockstone Junction, have since been repaired.
The closure of the Linden/Lethem Road would have affected operations dependent on the linkage severely, especially with trade reportedly increasing dramatically over the past year. Lethem, a border location to Brazil, has reported a fuel shortage over the past days.

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