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Mercury free technology fund to benefit small miners, Amerindian communities
Cabinet recently gave its no-objection for the setting up of a mercury free technology fund to benefit small miners and Amerindian communities involved in mining, says Robert Persaud, Minister of Natural Resources and Environment.
He was at the time addressing members of the Parliamentary Sub-Committee on Natural
Robert Persaud makes his presentation to the National Assembly.
Resources in the National Assembly.
According to Persaud, the “recurring” fund would be managed by the banking institutions. He explained that there would be a limit as to how much money could be accessed. And, the fund would only be used to purchase alternative technology for mercury.
He said this initiative would facilitate Guyana’s transition to mercury free mining, a goal set internationally for 10-years. The Minister is confident that Guyana would achieve this task, owing to the works being done currently. Efforts being made by Government are to satisfy the requirements of the Treaty signed by them by the Minamata Convention on Mercury held last October.
The Minamata Convention on Mercury which is a global legally binding instrument on mercury was adopted in Minamata, Japan, during the convention held on October 7 to 11, 2013.
The treaty is named after Minamata city where its residents suffered mercury poisoning during the 1950s.
Persaud said Guyana should be proud since it is one of the first countries to sign the convention. This step has enabled Guyana to move from a position where many in the mining sector were resisting the elimination of mercury, to the phasing out of it.
According to Persaud, some businesses in the mining sector have already phased out the use of mercury. In addition, suppliers are including alternative technology on their inventories.
“So the sector itself has started…GGDMA from time to time working with us would have demonstration activities,” he said.
Another initiative by Government to phase out mercury usage is the provision of equipment to miners. He explained that in this regard ‘Nelson Concentrators’ have been purchased and tendered to medium scale miners while other technologies are being procured for small miners.
According to the Minister, the minimization of the use of mercury would help to reduce some of the difficulties in the mining sector such as contaminated water and the threat to miners’ health.
However, there are other challenges facing the mining sector which are being combated through coordinated efforts of the various agencies under the Ministry of Natural Resources and the Environment.
He made that comment in response to a question posed by A Partnership for National Unity (APNU)’s Member of Parliament Joe Harmon on whether the Ministry shouldn’t be split in two; separating Natural Resources from the Environment.
Persaud emphasized that there is no conflict and contradiction of having the areas of Natural Resources and the Environment under one umbrella since there would be greater coordination
According to Persaud, the Ministry recognizes the unavoidable disturbance mining has on the environment. Its objective is to minimize this negative impact and prevent destruction of the environment.
He emphasized that the establishment of the Guyana Mining School would provide the necessary training that would allow miners to operate in an environmentally friendly manner. The introduction of new technology would also facilitate proper land use. He stated that increased recovery from a small plot of land would reduce the need to mine on large areas.
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