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Oct 16, 2024 News …says strong fumes casing headaches, skin irritation, burning of eyes and nose By: Rehanna Ramsay and Davina Bagot Kaieteur News-  A Crane, West Coast Demerara resident is living in constant fear for her health since the appearance of a mysterious oily substance in her living room on October 3. The 67-year old woman, Basmatie Singh resides with her son. The woman told this newspaper that she discovered drops of an oily substance in the bottom flat of her two-story home, a short distance from the sea front, while cleaning. Singh who has been living in the area for the past 17 years said she had never encountered the substance before.  “The first time I see this thing is when I was cleaning. I cleaned outside the house then I came inside and start clean and I notice this thing on the tiles, so I call my son and show him.  We remove the mat and we observe oil at other spots and then we move the furniture and start to see one and two different spots and then he decided to call some persons and they came,” she explained. Both Basmatie and her son said they touched the substance which had an oil consistency.  The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) was alerted of the situation on October 7. A team from the EPA, the Guyana Geology and Mines Commission (GGMC) and ExxonMobil Guyana Limited (EMGL) visited Singh’s home on October 8. The team conducted tests and took samples of the substance for further testing offsite. The family was later informed by the EPA during a second visit to their home on October 11 that the living room area was high in Sulphur Dioxide. The oily substance that was discovered in the home of Basmatie Singh Sulphur Dioxide (SO2), according to the American Lung Association, is a gaseous air pollutant composed of sulfur and oxygen. “SO2 forms when sulfur-containing fuel such as coal, petroleum oil, or diesel is burned,” the Association said. Inhaling this gas can be extremely dangerous to human health causing wheezing, shortness of breath and chest tightness and other problems. According to the American Lung Association, “Long-term exposure at high levels increases respiratory symptoms and reduces the ability of the lungs to function.” “They took the samples and told me it is for further investigation but they told me the EPA does not have the necessary equipment to get the job done. They have to do a report to ExxonMobil, they have the necessary equipment to do the sample but unless they do the report or Geology and Mines, the EPA can’t do anything,” the resident related. The family has shared their concerns with the ExxonMobil Grievance team. The oil company reportedly informed them that they were awaiting a report; they have since not heard from Exxon. Discomfort While the family awaits word from the authorities, they have been living in discomfort. “Me had to move out me chair, me mat, everything from this area. I used to cook in my downstairs and I can’t do that anymore. I have to cook outside,” the woman explained. When Kaieteur News visited the Crane home, the strong fumes penetrated the masks worn by the reporters. The smell almost resembled that of acetone, a strong chemical used by nail technicians. Droplets of the liquid substance were seen across what used to be Singh’s living room. The fumes forced reporters out as a burning sensation of the eyes and nose were experienced. Basmatie said these symptoms were very common to her, as she also reported feeling nauseous and experiencing severe headaches. “Right now we just want answers. We want to know what really is going on here so we can move forward,” Singh pleaded. The woman and her son said although a large team of over one dozen persons visited their home; no advice was shared with the family. They have however taken a few measures to try to protect themselves from the high scented fumes. “The EPA didn’t tell us what to do, so our life is kind of on pause until we know for certain what this thing is. As you can see some kind of gas, oil or chemical substance is seeping through the floor. We are living here but we are unsure of what it is at the moment.  We are not staying downstairs and we move out the furniture. We want to know what is going on, so we can decide what to do,” she told Kaieteur News. The woman has created a make shift wall, using black plastic bags to prevent the fumes from travelling across their home. Basmatie and her son are hoping that their concerns can be dealt with urgently. “Based on my little research, sulfur dioxide is found in gas and petroleum activities and can lead to health issues.”  In her bid to understand what may be happening in her home, the woman said she reached out to neighbours, who she said have not detected the same leaks. Oil and gas activities American oil giant, ExxonMobil has laid a 12-inch pipeline a stone’s throw away from Singh’s home. The pipeline is connected to the Liza One and Liza Two Floating Production Storage and Offloading vessels (FPSO) offshore. It will transport gas to the Wales Development site. In August, Exxon completed hooking up the pipeline to the two FPSOs. The company had said it would pump an earthen gas- like nitrogen- along with water into the structure, until the construction of the gas plants is completed at Wales. Similar complaint Following Kaieteur News’ visit on Monday, another family reached out to this publication complaining of the discovery of a similar substance. The family lives blocks away from Singh. This newspaper understands that the substance appears oily on the tiles. The family said it has since alerted the EPA. Another home located in Crane affected by the oily substance Meanwhile, this publication also spoke to residents who live nearby to the gas pipeline. They complained about noise and dust pollution as a result of the gas pipeline activities being conducted by Exxon near the sea defence at Crane. An officer of GGMC collecting samples from an affected home EPA responds In an invited comment on Tuesday, the Executive Director of the EPA, Kemraj Parsram acknowledged receipt of the report by Singh. He said, “We are investigating with GGMC. We have also requested EMGL to investigate as well, as part of their grievance mechanism. So far the information gathered is inconclusive. We are taking samples to have it lab tested to determine what it is, and further onsite testing.” When asked if the Agency received reports of similar discoveries across Crane, the Director did not respond. In a subsequent statement on Tuesday evening, the EPA explained that on October 10, 2024, the agency received a report from Crane Village, West Coast Demerara, regarding a substance seeping from the ground. In response to the report, the EPA said that its Emergency Response Unit promptly mobilized to the site to conduct an initial investigation. “The Agency is currently collaborating with the Guyana Geology and Mines Commission (GGMC), GUYSUCO, and the Pesticides and Toxic Chemicals Control Board (PTCCB) to identify the cause and nature of the seepage,” the regulator noted. In the meantime, the agency urged residents in the immediate vicinity to “remain calm and exercise patience” as the investigation proceeds. Further, affected residents are advised to avoid the impacted areas within their homes for their safety. EPA pointed out that it has engaged Exxon and that the company will be investigating as part of its grievance mechanism. A team of technical officers from the EPA, GGMC and ExxonMobil during a visit Related Similar Articles

We gat to watch dem prices with hawk eyes! Oct 16, 2024 Dem Boys Seh, Features / Columnists Dem Boys Seh… Kaieteur News – Dem Boys Seh how deh days when yuh coulda walk in de market with a lil change and come out wid a full bag done gone. Now, yuh need a magnifying glass just to see if deh price drop by a cent! Is like deh market got a mind of it own, one week yuh buy plantain cheap, next week yuh payin double! But wha really happenin? Dem seh it’s time we start watchin dem price like hawks, every single week. De Kaieteur News should put up a column wid average prices for all de main items in a basket. One column for town folks, another one for country folks, and even one for dem in deh hinterland. Nuff people does seh, “But dem things does change all de time!” Well, that’s exactly why we need to start trackin dem. Look story! De government seh it gon pump 60 billion dollars into de economy soon. Dem boys seh, yuh know what does happen when money start to flood de place? Prices does tek off like dem minibus in a hurry. Before yuh blink, yuh milk price done double, and yuh lil sugar wha use to last yuh a month now costin yuh two-week salary. If people start watchin dem prices, yuh gon see how quick dem sellers gon get frighten. Because is one thing to raise a price here and there, but is a whole next thing when people start keepin track. Is like when yuh know dem cameras watchin yuh, yuh does behave yuhself. And with de Kaieteur News column, everybody could watch and see when things gettin outta hand. So instead of just complainin how de market “raise price again,” yuh can point to de facts. Dem boys seh that’s how yuh hold dem accountable, not just the lil market vendor but even de big man who settin de policies. So, leh we start keepin dem receipts and tallyin dem price hikes. ‘Cause if we don’t, when de 60 billion dollars come, yuh gon be payin $500 for one cassava. And nobody want that, not even de man sellin it! Talk half! Leff half! Related Similar Articles

An insult to the working class Oct 16, 2024 Peeping Tom Peeping tom… Kaieteur News – It is a common ploy for leaders to make grand announcements—declarations that sound transformative but fall flat under scrutiny. Such is the case with President Ali’s recent proclamation that by the end of 2025, the lowest-paid public servant will earn no less than $100,000 per month. On the surface, this might appear as a significant concession to public sector workers, a gesture that the government is serious about addressing economic hardship among its employees. However, a deeper look reveals a façade that belies a critical reality: the glaring gap between the national minimum wage and the public service wage, a divide that lays bare the government’s unwillingness to extend this increase to all workers in the country. As it stands, the national minimum wage, which applies primarily to the private sector, remains stagnant at just over $60,000 per month. This figure, far removed from the realities of inflation and the ever-rising cost of living, consigns thousands of low-level private sector workers to a life of struggle. The people who stock shelves in retail stores, serve food in small eateries, and labor in market stalls are trapped in a cycle of survival—each month a juggling act of rent, groceries, and other basic necessities. For these workers, the prospect of earning $100,000 per month is a distant dream, even though they, too, contribute daily to the functioning of the economy. The President’s announcement, for all its fanfare, offers nothing to these workers, who are left behind as the public sector moves incrementally upward.  But even for public sector workers, the $100,000 is but an illusion. If the wage increases offered to teachers in 2024 and 2025 were extended uniformly to all public servants, then the minimum wage would naturally rise to beyond the promised $100,000 by the end of 2025. This renders the President’s pledge less a boon and more a matter of simple arithmetic. The reality is that the public service wage increase is not so much a gift as it is an inevitability. Yet the real question is not whether public servants deserve better pay—they undoubtedly do—but why their counterparts in the private sector continue to be left in the lurch. Why is it that, despite years of economic growth and increasing revenues from sectors like oil, so many workers are still scraping by on a wage that barely allows them to cover their basic needs? The answer lies not in the inherent complexities of the economy but in the political calculus of the government—a calculation that privileges the comfort of the bourgeois class over the well-being of the working poor. It is no secret that the government has been reluctant to align the national minimum wage with the public service minimum wage. To do so would be to upset the delicate balance of interests that sustains the power structure—a balance heavily weighted in favour of employers who benefit from cheap labor. The President’s reluctance to disturb this balance speaks to a longstanding truth in our political life: that despite all the rhetoric of inclusivity and upliftment, the true beneficiaries of government policy remain those who hold economic power. For decades, successive administrations have walked this tightrope, attempting to appease the working class with promises of incremental wage increases while avoiding any significant changes that might provoke the ire of business owners.  It is an abdication of moral responsibility, a refusal to acknowledge the basic dignity of all workers, irrespective of whether they are employed by the state or by private interests. The government’s failure to bridge the gap between the public service wage and the national minimum wage effectively institutionalizes a two-tiered system, where those who serve the state are afforded a modicum of comfort while their counterparts in the private sector remain trapped in precariousness. Such a system may be convenient for the political elite, but it is fundamentally unjust, perpetuating a cycle in which the most vulnerable are left to bear the brunt of economic inequality. The consequences of this disparity are not just economic but social. A society in which a large segment of the workforce is left struggling to make ends meet is one where discontent festers and where social cohesion is constantly under threat. It is a society where hope dwindles and where the promise of a better life—so often invoked by politicians—rings increasingly hollow. For how can there be hope when the fruits of national progress are distributed so unevenly? To align the national minimum wage with the public service minimum wage would be a bold step toward fairness and equity, a recognition that every worker deserves to earn enough to live with dignity. It would mean raising the floor for all workers, not just those who answer directly to the state, and ensuring that no one in this country is forced to subsist on a wage that cannot meet the cost of living. It would signal a commitment to the principle that economic growth should benefit all, not just a select few. But such a move would require a willingness to confront the powerful interests that have long shaped economic policy—a willingness that has been sorely lacking in recent years. It would mean facing down the protests of employers who claim that raising wages would harm their bottom lines, even as those same employers enjoy the benefits of a growing economy. And it would mean challenging the narrative that progress for one segment of the workforce must come at the expense of another—a narrative that has long served to pit public sector workers against their counterparts in the private sector, diverting attention from the broader structural issues that keep wages low. The truth is that the real burden of a unified minimum wage would not fall on small business owners alone. A more equitable wage structure would also benefit the broader economy by increasing consumer spending power, allowing workers to afford more than just the basics and thereby stimulating demand. Yet, instead of embracing this vision, the government remains wedded to a narrow approach that prioritizes the interests of a privileged few. It is a betrayal of the promise of democracy, a reminder that even in an era of supposed progress, the old power dynamics remain intact. And so, the announcement of a $100,000 wage for public servants becomes not a sign of change but a symbol of what remains stubbornly unchanged: a system that rewards the powerful while leaving the working poor to fend for themselves. The time has come to reject this false dichotomy between public sector workers and private sector workers, to recognize that the struggle for a decent wage is a common struggle, one that should unite all workers rather than divide them. The President’s promise of a higher wage for public servants may make for a tidy headline, but until that same standard is applied to every worker, it remains little more than an empty gesture—a reminder that in the politics of wage-setting, appearances are often more important than reality. Related Similar Articles