– but residents say transportation costs too high
As the ongoing El Nino dry weather phenomenon continues over Guyana residents within the Moruca Sub-Region in Region One are reaping the benefits of a rehabilitated road which cuts travelling time by some eight hours.
The 22-mile long road, which connects the villages of Kwebanna and Santa Rosa, once existed as a normal track but was recently rehabilitated, a resident in the area told Stabroek News. He said that the road was constructed in the 1960s through a United Nations funded project in which residents of the area made “financial donations” towards the project.
The project was completed but while the road existed, residents, mostly business persons from the Waini communities of Warapoka, Chinese Landing, Kokerite and other areas along the Barama River, preferred to use the Barama River as most persons own boats.
The authorities in Region One recently allocated funds towards rehabilitation of the road and phase two of the project is expected to continue in the near future. The road was bulldozed and aligned over the past three months and as the water level in tributaries of the main rivers in the area dropped, persons began to utilize the road.
However, another resident stated that while the road has made access to the area easier, it may be economical only to the business persons who can afford to pay the fares charged by vehicle owners.
Another resident stated that between $10,000 and $12,000 is charged by the operators of off-road and All Terrain Vehicles (ATV) to move goods, including ground provisions and other agricultural produce from Kwebanna to the Santa Rosa area. The business persons are able to pay the fare, almost on a daily basis, but other individuals such as farmers often “ask for a lift” to Santa Rosa.
Goods, including “necessary groceries” are transported into the Kwebanna area for resale using the road and it is now being viewed as “the central point of travel,” a resident told this newspaper yesterday.
From Santa Rosa, persons are able to travel to Charity by boat, the usual mode of transportation for persons living in the more populated Moruca area. Farmers and members of the business community at Santa Rosa view the road as a major link as in the past, they travelled a longer, more tiresome journey by boat. The area along the roadway is sparsely populated and while land titles have not been provided by the authorities, residents there are hoping that this would be done in the near future.
Meanwhile, residents in the Moruca Sub-Region are hoping that there will be a change in weather, since, according to them, most persons in the area rely on the rains to fill their water tanks as well as the nearby creeks. Agriculture Minister Robert Persaud, during a recent visit to the Moruca Sub-Region, had assured residents in the area that the authorities are trying their utmost to assist affected communities countrywide.
Drought-like weather conditions have impacted heavily on several areas across the country including the main conservancies and farming areas along the coastland. The weather conditions are forecasted by the HydroMet Department of the Ministry of Agriculture to continue over Guyana until the end of April.