Lawmakers in Suriname call for investigation, stricter oversight amid new mining activity
Lawmakers in Suriname are calling for a formal investigation into mining activity that allegedly uses heavily restricted chemicals like cyanide, and risks creating runoff and pollution in the surrounding ecosystem. On Sept. 19, two members of the National Assembly, Rabindre Parmessar and Michael Marengo, visited an area in Pelin Bergi, near Kwakoegron, in northern Suriname, […]
Suriname's lawmakers have called for a formal investigation into mining activity that reportedly employs restricted chemicals like cyanide, posing risks of runoff and pollution to the ecosystem. On September 19, National Assembly members Rabindre Parmessar and Michael Marengo visited a site in Pelin Bergi, near Kwakoegron in northern Suriname, and found "substantial" mining operations that raised questions about legal permits.
The lawmakers have urged President Jennifer Geerlings-Simons to launch an immediate investigation and temporarily suspend all mining in the area. They expressed concerns over the nature, duration, permitting, oversight, and fiscal and environmental controls on these activities in a letter to the president. The lawmakers, accompanied by local journalists and an environmental activist, observed deep excavations and materials being transported for processing.
They also noted indications of cyanide use, a chemical heavily restricted in Suriname, which is primarily used in heap leaching to extract gold from rocks. The import and use of cyanide are tightly controlled in Suriname, with efforts underway to phase out imports and establish a registry system for the chemical.
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