Residents of Houston, Raphael Singh, and the Radziks, Danuta and Vanda, have brought forth a fervent appeal to the Environmental Assessment Board (EAB) urging a reconsideration of the decision taken by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to forgo an Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) for a hazardous waste facility proposed in Houston, East Bank Demerara.
The intended facility, applied for by Schlumberger Guyana Inc. (SLB), a contractor to ExxonMobil, is envisaged to serve as a treatment and storage facility for hazardous waste near the Demerara River, sited at the old Gafoors compound. The exemption from a comprehensive impact assessment by the EPA in April has been a source of persistent concern and subsequent formal appeal by the residents.
In a Public Hearing on September 13, 2023, conducted at Parc Rayne, Rahaman’s Park, the aggrieved citizens presented their concerns to the three-member EAB, led by Dr. Mahendar Sharma. This gathering, necessitated by the Environmental Protection Act, was a confluence of diverse presentations from the appellants, the project developer, and the EPA.
The crux of the residents’ appeal elucidated the perceived degradation in the value of their land and properties coupled with burgeoning fears of potential hazards ranging from radiation exposure, chemical spills, fires, and flooding. Such adversities, they argued, harbor potential ramifications, leading to contamination in the proximate villages of Houston and McDoom, EBD.
“The EPA has a statutory duty to require an EIA to ensure that any activity which may cause an adverse effect…be assessed before such an activity should be authorized…4(1) (g) of the Act taking into account the “avoidance” and “precautionary” principles and any others,” they articulated, echoing a ruling by High Court Judge Nareshwar Harnanan dated December 16, 2022.
A profound emphasis was placed on the inherent constitutional and human rights to a salubrious environment, public participation, access to information, and environmental justice, aligned with international treaties like Escazu. They argued that the EPA and the EAB bear the cardinal responsibility to uphold these rights to the highest degree, especially in instances marred by ambiguities.
Noteworthy, was the contention regarding the EPA’s notice dated April 16, 2023, which the residents felt, failed to sufficiently explicate the reasons for its determinations and the consequential impacts on the environment and the community’s cultural heritage.
Eloquent in their presentation, Singh and the Radziks underscored, “While there have been other commercial projects at Houston, the redevelopment of Houston as an industrial base for oil and gas operators is unprecedented and will have significant impacts on the environment, human health, cultural characteristics, geographic area, and landscape.”
Schlumberger Guyana Inc. (SLB), a registered contractor in Guyana, delineated its pivotal role in providing multifaceted oil field services, asserting its technological leadership and adherence to safety norms in using radioactive sources since the early 1950s. The company underlined the stringent encapsulation and shielding protocols to mitigate any potential leakage or environmental release of radioactive materials.
However, research elucidates the detrimental repercussions of exposure to radioactive waste, highlighting the long-term implications such as cancerous growths in humans and deleterious genetic alterations in fauna and flora.
The culmination of these concerns emphasizes a pressing call for transparency, adherence to environmental laws, detailed baseline surveys, and diligent enforcement to ensure the sustainable coexistence of industrial advancements and community well-being in Guyana.