A Day in the Life of EMC Environmental Officer Poorandayal Omacharan
Poorandayal Omacharan is a Conservationist who joined EMC in 2022. Pooran has a background in biodiversity conservation, sustainable development, and mangrove research. He believes that striking a balance between development and conservation is the key to a sustainable earth.
“My work at EMC focuses on monitoring, analysis, and reporting on various aspects of the environment.
A typical day of water monitoring on the Essequibo River starts at 4 am. I wake up, collect the required equipment, and drive to Parika Boat Yard to meet the rest of the team. We then hop onto the EMC boat and set out to the river at around 7 am. We stop at selected points to collect water samples and observe human activities and the changes they bring to the river and its ecosystem. Our work usually requires us to spend around five to six hours on the water, after which we travel back to the Parkia Boat Yard to analyse the water samples we collected.
This exercise is part of the EMC and Hydromet Water Quality Baseline Programme, which is helping generate consistent surface water quality data to support the management and protection of one of Guyana’s primary watersheds.
We usually experience the full range of Guyana’s weather while working on the Essequibo River. We begin the trip with sunshine, followed by heavy cloud cover, then varying levels of rainfall, after which the sun emerges. The cycle repeats through our time on the water until we return to Parika. The rain seems to target me every time I work on the river, and it is now a running joke in the office. It looks as though I am the EMC rainmaker.
I chose to work in conservation because I am in awe of nature. It sparks my need to venture into the unknown. Every aspect of life is linked directly to the environment. Understanding these links is essential to meeting our needs in ways that conserve the environment.
The best part of my job is the opportunity it gives me to travel to different areas of our beautiful country, meet people, and learn from different perspectives.”