Konawaruk bridge to be fixed by Monday August 22, 2016

KONAWARUK, Guyana – Arising out of visit today, Friday August 19, 2016 to mining communities at Konawaruk in Region Eight by Minister within the Ministry of Natural Resources Honourable Simona J. Broomes, M.P., the Ministry wishes to provide the following update regarding repairs/restoration to a bridge in the Konawaruk area that serves as an important cog to mining operations in that region and which was recently swept away by bad weather.

The Ministry of Natural Resources has been engaging the Ministry of Public Infrastructure with a view to ensuring the early restoration of the bridge.

Restoration work is being undertaken by the company MMC Inc. and today the company provided assurances that work will be completed within a timeframe that will allow for normal use of the bridge by vehicles as of Monday August 22, 2016.

MMC Inc. has further assured the Minister that the bridge will now be reinforced to ensure that it can withstand the ravages of inclement weather in the future.

Minister Broomes has said that those miners with whom she spoke earlier today expressed relief at the news of the imminent restoration of the bridge and indicated their satisfaction over the on-the-ground attention that she continues to pay to the sector.

The Minister, meanwhile, has alluded to weather related difficulties affecting smaller bridges in other parts of the Konawaruk, including the Tiger Creek area, which are having a negative effect on mining operations throughout the region.

Arising out of this the Ministry of Natural Resources is engaging the Ministry of Public Infrastructure on the matter of the early repairs/restoration of the affected bridges. Minister Broomes has said that the experience of today’s interior visit, and previous visits, serves as a timely reminder of the importance of continually strengthening the infrastructure in the mining sector.

Office of the Minister within Ministry of Natural Resources August 19, 2016