The Civil Defence Commission (CDC) earlier today deployed coast guards to the Essequibo River to verify claims of an oil spill. This was after persons claimed to have seen oil in the Essequibo River in areas offshore Parika, Leguan and Tiger Island.
However, Director General of the Civil Defence Commission, Lieutenant Colonel Kester Craig moments ago told Guyana Standard that Coast Guards have been able to confirm that there has been no oil spill.
Craig said that what was mistaken to be oil turns out to be sargassum weed. He indicated that a sample of the sargassum was even brought back to shore.
The Director said that it is important for Guyanese to be vigilant but it is also important for citizens to be careful.
He said, “People recklessly put these things out there before verification. We want to warn people not to do that.”
I think it is great that citizen science is in action in Guyana. If citizens had not posted images from the sky asking what it was, there would have been no on the ground action verifying what it was. More of this type of collaboration needs to happen as I am sure the coast guard is not flying a plane to check and see what the waters look like off the coasts.