Kwakwani residents say transporting basic commodities like cooking gas and kerosene is being hampered by the deplorable state of the Kwakwani to Linden road and they are being forced to pay 100% more to be transported out of the community.
During a recent visit to the area, residents said that the road, high transportation costs and the lack of an ambulance were among their main concerns. The Kwakwani population numbers 5,000. One woman who asked not to be named told Stabroek News that it now costs her $2,000 to travel to Linden from Kwakwani and $4,000 return. For this year the fares have increased three times. In January, a one-way passage was $1,000 then it moved to $1,200 then to $1,500 and is now about $2,000. As regard the increased bus fares, one resident said that after the rainy season ends they would seek a reduction of the fare since at the current cost, it is not affordable as the “average person ain’t working.”
The woman said that the drivers claim the increase is due to the deplorable state of the road. This private sector employee remarked that “because of that it (the road) affecting everything…three times VAT (Value-Added Tax) we getting down here…people suffering trust me.” The average pensioner, she said, does not get an opportunity to leave the area. The woman contended that the cost of living was already high and with the cost of transporting items by road to Kwakwani it is even higher.
Edgar Mendonca of Donza and Sons Gas Station at Kwakwani told this newspaper that because the road is impassable trucks bringing in essentials like cooking gas and kerosene oil find it difficult to traverse the road. On Monday he said there was no gas or kero at his outlet. Mendonca noted too that passengers travelling to Linden have had to pay as much as $3,000 and “the main concern right now is the road.” The man said he believed that the lumber trucks are responsible for the damage to the road and the minibuses get stuck in the large holes, leaving a lot of slush in their wake. This week, buses that would normally ply the Kwakwani/ Linden route were forced to return to Kwakwani because the road was impassable. Due to the cost of travelling out of the community, workers go to business places to change their cheques to avoid the cost of travelling to Linden.
“Right now, you go into the market you can play a game of rounders,” Mendonca said of the deserted state of the market. One vendor, he said, had complained that she spent $15,000 to hire the back seat of a minibus to transport her goods from Linden to Kwakwani. He remarked that, “you could just imagine what she has to sell for,” to make a profit.
Mendonca, who is also the chairman of the Neighbour-hood Democratic Council said some Kwakwani residents are also battling an overflow of the Berbice River and although this is a seasonal phenomenon, according to residents the water is getting higher every year. In response he said some residents have begun to cut lands to squat a few metres past the Unamco Junction while some have moved into a central section of Kwakwani known as “The Park.”
The chairman said that he had been advising residents to move to higher grounds and this newspaper understands that there is a housing scheme with about 40 lots that can accommodate affected persons.
However, the Ministry of Housing has not visited the area for the year, since its visit last year, to distribute these lots. Mendonca said though the health ministry has responded by distributing disinfectant to affected residents.
Meanwhile, residents say they are also concerned about the unavailability of an ambulance in the community. This newspaper understands that the ambulance is not roadworthy. The Aroaima ambulance often services the community and when it isn’t available sometimes Aroaima sometimes sends a four-wheel drive vehicle suitable for the task. (Nicosia Smith)
