Clouds of dust billowing into the air every time a vehicle traverses the mud-patched main road at Kumaka, Region One is causing discomfort but Deputy Regional Executive Officer Nigel Fisher said the situation will not be remedied until further repairs are conducted.
In an invited comment, Fisher told Stabroek News that speed bumps will be erected on the road but this is the only work expected to be done. He said the repairs would start when bitumen arrives in the Mabaruma community in another week or so. While acknowledging that the mud used to fill the pot-holed roads cause heavy dust to disperse when vehicles drive by, Fisher said many residents had not complained about the inconvenience. He said the road the material used to patch the road caused heavy dust, particularly on sunny days when vehicles drive by. However, he recalled that only one resident and shopkeeper had brought the matter to his attention.
He said too the regional administration plans to seal off the road and is awaiting the bitumen to do so. The bitumen is being sourced from the Guyana Oil Company in Georgetown. “But in the interim we would put in some speed bumps, by tomorrow. But by next weekend we will look to start the sealing off of the road,” he said. Fisher reiterated that since many residents had not complained he was grateful that Stabroek News had brought the matter to his attention.
Meanwhile, a few residents told this newspaper that the situation poses a health hazard and demanded that the road be properly sealed off as soon as possible. They said work on the road started more than two weeks ago and the decision to plaster it with a black, mud-like material has not worked out to residents’ benefit. “When it rains its like a slush and when the sun hot like today and the vehicles pass in a speed then the dust blows up and enters our nostrils and we all cold get sick here,” one resident said on Tuesday.
Monica Fitzpatrick, a businesswoman in the small, riverain community said that the dust has caused her and her family to suffer headaches and has also caused excessive sneezing and coughing among persons in the community. “It is not healthy and affecting children and we are very concerned about this,” she said, adding that she was hoarse because of the dust. The woman also said that calls were made to the regional administration but enough was not being done to address her concerns.
Nicolas Chu told this newspaper that the dust has caused his baby daughter to contract a cold. He called on the region to speed up the work and remedy the situation. Another resident and businesswoman in the community, Diana Singh said that the dust causes her much inconvenience. She said the hot temperatures force her to open her windows but heavy dust comes with the breeze. Singh said she has been in frequent contact with the regional authorities on the matter but nothing substantial has been done. She explained that when work started on the road; the weather was slightly rainy and that kept the dust down. “But this could develop into a health hazard for us. This dust is not good for us,” she lamented.
Naomi Willis told Stabroek News that in addition to itchy and runny eyes, stuffy noses and headaches, the dust is disastrous for clothing and has been affecting her food business. Willis, a mother of five said the condition is not wholesome for children. “When people start going to hospital as a result of the illness caused by this dust then I think it will be take seriously. But they really need to do something about this,” she said. Kumaka has a population of about 300 persons.
