A20 parliamentary faction leader Steven Reyme has publicly called on the Surinamese government to prioritize an immediate response to widespread pollution and potentially unregulated gold mining operations taking place in and along the Marowijne River, a critical transboundary waterway that supports local communities on both sides of the Suriname-France border.
Speaking before the National Assembly of Suriname earlier this week, Reyme revealed that he had completed an on-site inspection of the river basin just one day prior to his address, where he witnessed what he described as completely unacceptable environmental practices. During his visit, he directly observed one active gold mining operation dumping all of its processing waste directly into the Marowijne River with no form of treatment or containment, he confirmed.
Reyme has issued a stark warning that these unregulated mining activities carry severe long-term risks for both the river’s fragile ecosystem and the hundreds of local residents who rely on the waterway for drinking water, fishing, agriculture, and daily livelihoods. Without prompt intervention, he argues, the contamination could irreparably damage the region’s natural resources and threaten public health for communities along the river.
The A20 faction leader added that he has received multiple credible reports that several uninhabited islands within the Marowijne River have been seized and occupied by mining interests. While Reyme could not immediately confirm whether these seizures are legal or unauthorized, he emphasized that the government has an obligation to launch a full investigation into the status of these land claims and any related mining activity.
Crucially, Reyme noted that the environmental threats facing the Marowijne River are not limited to the Surinamese side of the border. Mining operations on the opposite French Guiana side of the boundary are also carrying out activities that pose significant harm to the river and surrounding habitats, he said.
In closing, Reyme stressed the urgent need for swift government intervention, calling on authorities to launch a full formal inquiry into the scale of mining activity in the border region, confirm which operations are operating with legal authorization, and introduce clear, enforceable oversight frameworks for gold mining and environmental protection across the entire transboundary Marowijne River basin.