EPA promises greater focus on enhanced monitoring capabilities for 2022

Jan 27, 2022 News

…to acquire modern equipment to measure environmental change

Kaieteur News – The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) which has as its mandate, sound environmental management for the good of all Guyanese, has committed this year to applying greater focus on its monitoring capabilities.

EPA promises greater focus on enhanced monitoring capabilities for 2022

This is according to the state agency in a recent document outlining some of its plans for this year. According to that document, in the new year, the EPA intends to place emphasis on, among other areas, Complaints Management – ensuring that all complaints received are investigated. Additionally, the document projects strengthening the capability of the agency to manage pollution. This will materialise through enhanced monitoring capabilities – using Geographic Information Systems, and acquiring modern equipment to measure environmental change.

Further, it proposes greater collaboration with sister agencies – in recognising that the Agency needs support from all stakeholders. To this end, the EPA said it will “continue to engage both state and non-governmental agencies in pursuit of its mandate and capacity building.
“The EPA intends to continue to invest in its human resources as the most important asset and as such, “call on all Guyanese to be good stewards of the environment in 2022 and beyond.”
This past week, the EPA had come under fire for its lack of capacity to execute proper environmental tests associated with the oil and gas sector.

This was noted in ExxonMobil’s Comprehensive Waste Management Plan (CWMP) submitted to the EPA last year. That document noted that ExxonMobil’s subsidiary, Esso Exploration and Production Guyana Limited (EEPGL) reviewed four laboratories that are in operation performing various degrees of analytical services, or have future planned operations.

It was noted that Kaizen (Georgetown) has a small lab with limited testing capability (no solid waste) with a small staff of approximately eight people for executing testing and other functions of this business. EEPGL said the University of Guyana (Georgetown) has multiple analytical instruments but no laboratory. The company said the analytical instruments are not currently available for commercial purposes nor on a routine basis. The company said too that staffing may be limited to two persons. Ecotox Environmental Services Ltd. (Ecotox), EEPGL said, is a Trinidad based environmental testing and consultancy service that is considering the establishment of an environmental laboratory operation in Guyana. Ecotox currently provides all of the analytical services to Tiger Rentals Guyana and EEPGL for their waste management programmes.
The Comprehensive Waste Management Plan (CWMP) is a document based on a holistic review of EEPGL’s maturing waste management process.
The CWMP was developed pursuant to Section Five of the Payara Development Project Environmental Permit and the Cradle to Grave Waste Analysis Study approved by the Environmental Protection Agency on September 13, 2021.

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