‘Mining mysteries’ concern Opposition
JAMAICA Labour Party (JLP) spokesman on land and the environment, Senator Alexander Williams, says he is alarmed at reports about a mysterious gold mining operation in the Wood Hall area of St Catherine, saying that this is happening amidst indications that bauxite mining is happening in sections of the protected Cockpit Country area on the Trelawny/St Ann border.
According to Williams, the last lessons from unregulated gold mining operations in Clarendon included contamination of a number of important community water sources and wide-scale loss of livestock. He said with the critical drought challenges now facing the country, “there is absolutely no room for error in possibly compromising any of the limited water sources around”.
Williams, an attorney, noted that the Clarendon disaster ended up with a lawsuit against the mining operators, “but so far it has been a mystery who is behind the Wood Hall mining”.
He said gold mining operations by nature involve the use of highly toxic chemicals which can be extremely harmful to both humans and animals. Hence, the grave danger to communities near such operations when there is a lack of clear communication on the operations involved. Even worse in this case, he noted, is the community’s complete ignorance of even the entity and people behind the operation.
“While gold mining can be a noble endeavour that is done within legal boundaries, that doesn’t seem to be the case in this instance, considering all the mystery surrounding the operation,” argued Williams. “So we are calling on the mining authorities to immediately investigate the matter and take the appropriate steps in the public’s interest.”
He said there are also concerns about reports of bauxite mining creeping back into sections of the Cockpit Country, despite assurances to the contrary by senior government officials after the problem was highlighted earlier this year. This matter, he said, also needs an in-depth investigation to ensure the protection of the invaluable Cockpit Country topography.