[www.inewsguyana.com] – Reports out of the North West Region indicate that the Barama River which is used as an access to the gold fields is ‘drying up’ at an alarming rate.
According to miner, Leslie Thomas of Bamboo landing [a village located along the banks of the river], the low level of the water is creating serious difficulties for miners who have to transport fuel, machinery and groceries to their respective areas of operation.
Thomas, who travelled from the Barama River on Thursday to Charity, said the situation is getting worse by the day because of the extremely dry weather. He said in some areas of the river, the water is only trickling.
According to him, on numerous occasions, boats traveling out are grounded in shallow areas in the river. He said boat operators are also finding it difficult to navigate the river because of the amount of wood which are exposed on the river bed. According to Thomas, traveling on the river is now only possible by day.
Meanwhile, he explained that mining operations on land is not seriously affected by the dry weather because miners are using water which is stored in large dug out ponds to carry on their dredge work.
He said miners have dug large wells in the ground to obtain drinking water which is bleached before using. [Rajendra Prabhulall]
