Latest update April 24th, 2024 12:59 AM
May 14, 2013 News
Despite nervousness over world gold prices, gold miners are steaming ahead with production already surpassing last year’s figures for the same period by 12 per cent.
The disclosures were made on Sunday last as Guyana announced a grant of US$60,000 ($12M) to work with nature conservation group, World Wildlife Fund (WWF) to help with training in the gold mining sector.
The monies will also help in research of mercury use in Guyana and its alternatives as countries move to phase out the dangerous metal which is extensively used by small miners to recover gold.
The Guyana Geology and Mines Commission (GGMC) which will be managing the grant yesterday received $5,830,000, representing the first tranche which will also help in the development of a national action plan and revision of the Codes of Practice for the mining sector during a one-year programme.
During the announcement at the Ministry of Natural Resources and the Environment, Brickdam, yesterday, Country Manager of WWF, Dr. Patrick Williams, said that the non-governmental organization has been working for over a decade with GGMC, the state regulators of the mining sector.
Also there were Natural Resources Minister, Robert Persaud; former GGMC Commissioner, William Woolford, who is now a representative of the Guyana Gold and Diamond Miners Association (GGDMA), and other officials.
Williams signaled the intent of his organization to continue helping Guyana phase out mercury use.
According to Woolford, miners more than welcome any moves by government to make mining more efficient. GGDMA, he stressed, is mandated to ensure mining activities do not lead to degradation of the land.
Minister Persaud explained that the WWF grant will help take the efforts of GGMC to another level. Government is uninterested in mining activities conjuring up images of destruction and bad practices.
With the phasing out of mercury a worry for especially small miners, Persaud yesterday made it clear that Government at this time has taken a position that this will be done in a structured manner over a 10-year period.
Miners have been arguing that alternative uses of mercury are more expensive as it would require huge investments in equipment, among other things.
The Minister admitted that Guyana can ill-afford to totally ban mercury now, despite such actions by a number of countries. Ingested, mercury is poisonous on the long term to the environment and humans.
Guyana will be collaborating with the United Nations Environmental Programme (UNEP) and other stakeholders to deal in a unified manner to help in the phasing out or mercury.
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