VHP member of parliament Mahinder Jogi believes more clarity is needed before Grassalco (the state mining company) is held fully responsible for the pollution of the Saramacca River. He especially wants to know which companies and individuals were actually active on the state company’s concession.
Mahinder Jogi questions the way responsibility for the cyanide pollution of the Saramacca River is being assigned to state mining company Grassalco. The VHP member of parliament says it must first be fully clear which individuals and companies carried out work on Grassalco’s concession and under what conditions this took place.
According to Jogi, it is not sufficient merely to establish that the pollution originates from an area covered by a Grassalco concession. He wants to know who was actually carrying out work there and what relationship these parties had with the state company. “Are there people working on Grassalco’s concession, together with Grassalco or through Grassalco?” the member of parliament asks in an interview with Sun Web TV.
Jogi says he does not know on the basis of which specific information President Jennifer Simons decided to hold Grassalco responsible. He does not rule out that other companies or individuals may have been involved in activities in the area, but stresses that he cannot name names as long as no concrete information is available.
Questions about cyanide pollution of the Saramacca River
Jogi’s questions come after the government announced the results of an investigation into the contamination of the Saramacca River. The Nationale Milieu Autoriteit (National Environmental Authority) found cyanide and heavy metals in water and examined fish. According to the government’s official information, the investigation results point to the area around Moeroekreek.
An important nuance is that the authorities indicated that the contamination started on Grassalco’s concession, or at a company that operates or has operated there. The government subsequently informed Grassalco of its intention to formally hold the state company liable for the damage caused. According to Jogi, it is precisely this situation that makes further clarity necessary.
Jogi wants full transparency on investigation
The member of parliament believes that society should have access to full information about the investigation and the parties active in the area concerned. According to him, this is important to establish where responsibility lies exactly and to prevent conclusions from being drawn without all circumstances being known.
Earlier, Key News reported on the investigation results and the intention to hold Grassalco liable. The government also announced at the time that stricter controls in gold mining areas are needed and that the situation around the Saramacca River should not be treated as an isolated incident.
“We must know exactly who worked on the concession and who was responsible.”
Jogi supports regulation of the gold sector
Although Jogi has questions about the assignment of responsibility, he welcomes the government’s intention to better regulate the gold sector. According to him, stricter regulation is necessary to prevent economic activities from causing lasting damage to rivers, forests and other natural resources used by large parts of society.
“Everyone may earn a living, but let us cherish what we have in common: our forest, our nature and our waters,” Jogi says. The member of parliament believes that economic interests cannot be viewed separately from the protection of the environment and public health. Especially in gold mining and gold processing, he says, better monitoring is needed of which substances are used and where they ultimately end up.
Stricter controls on gold processing needed
Jogi also calls attention to gold processing in and around populated areas. According to him, elevated levels of harmful substances have been measured in the past. He therefore believes that locations where gold is processed should be critically assessed, especially when they are close to residential neighbourhoods and public facilities.
According to the VHP member, activities in which hazardous chemical substances may be released must be prevented from taking place in areas with many homes, schools and hospitals. According to him, not only companies but also the government has the responsibility to limit risks to residents as much as possible through permits, inspections and enforcement.
Financial support does not solve pollution
The affected communities along the Saramacca River have faced restrictions in the use of river water and fish due to the pollution. The government has pledged support to residents affected by this. Jogi stresses, however, that financial assistance alone does not constitute a structural solution to the environmental problem.
According to him, work must simultaneously be done to determine the exact cause, prevent further pollution and strengthen oversight in gold mining areas. If only financial compensation is provided without addressing the cause, he says, there remains a risk that similar situations will occur again.
Responsibility must be clearly established
The discussion surrounding Grassalco is therefore not only about the question of on whose concession the pollution occurred, but also about who actually carried out activities there and who was supposed to exercise oversight. Jogi’s questions focus mainly on that shared responsibility. He wants to prevent it from remaining unclear which entrepreneur, concession holder or other party involved was ultimately responsible for the work that may have led to the pollution.
According to Jogi, the case involving the cyanide pollution of the Saramacca River has at the same time made clear why structural reforms in the gold sector are necessary. More transparency about concessions, stricter environmental conditions and effective controls must prevent economic activities from posing a danger to communities dependent on rivers and the surrounding forest.
The government has indicated that it will conduct further investigations and take measures to prevent a recurrence. For Jogi, it remains important that it is also made public who exactly was active on the Grassalco concession concerned and on the basis of which facts it will ultimately be determined who must bear legal and financial responsibility for the damage.
