Residents living close to the eroding section of the Kumaka waterfront in the Mabaruma Sub-Region, North West District are currently relocating from the area as authorities there have commenced plans to renovate the eroding landscape
Region One Vice-Chairman, Paul Pierre told Stabroek News last week that an area has already been identified for the relocating residents, most of them vendors, to settle. He said the relocation exercise is expected to continue over the next few weeks, following which revetment works will commence to “build up the eroded section”.
Pierre said that the actual work may commence sometime in October, but noted that the Public Works Ministry is currently working on the engineering aspect of the project. Another regional official from the area had informed this newspaper last month that the problem was recognized by the authorities sometime ago but noted that residents were reluctant to move when advised to do so.
Stabroek News had reported earlier last month on the concerns raised by residents in the area who informed that the nearby Aruka River was rapidly encroaching on the Kumaka landscape since the beginning of the year. Several businesspersons in the area had informed this newspaper that the area is the central business district of the Mabaruma Sub-Region.
Persons in the community told Stabroek News that the problem was recognized several years ago when sections of the community, especially the northern part of Kumaka, came under a lot of water whenever the tide rose. The eroded section of the area encompassed more than 200m of the width of the waterfront, including the old T&HD wharf as well as the Kumaka Marketing Corporation wharf, where the ferry, MV Kimbia usually moors whenever the vessel travels to the area.
