Several weeks of heavy rainfall in Region Nine has left parts of the Linden/Lethem Road impassable.
Region Nine Chairman Clarindo Lucas confirmed that the road is impassable when contacted by Stabroek News yesterday but he referred all queries on the state of the road to the Public Works Ministry. Poor maintenance is believed to be responsible for the current state of the road.
Lucas noted that officials from the ministry are on the ground as the department has a project on-going with regards to the roads in the area. He also noted that the area is not “affected in any way” by the situation, which he said is a historical occurrence during the rainy season. He added that he will be visiting the affected areas along the trail later this week.
Coordinator of the Works Services Group of the Public Works Ministry Rickford Lowe could not be reached yesterday but this newspaper understands that officials from the department have been in the area over the past several days assessing the situation.
Persons in the Lethem area told Stabroek News yesterday that affected sections along the roadway are on the Hunt Oil stretch, located some 40 miles from Lethem; near to Meritezero; and parts of a double bridge located some 40 miles north of the Kurupukari Crossing in the Essequibo that has reportedly eroded.
Water was yesterday flowing over the road along the Hunt Oil stretch while the surrounding swampy areas close to the road are under water. Persons in Region 9 told Stabroek News that several culverts were blocked when previous works were undertaken along the trail.
Minibuses have been able to traverse the affected sections of the roadway but their operations have seen the journey taking more time as stops have to be made to navigate the flooded parts of the road. Officials at Intrasev bus service, which plies the Georgetown/Lethem route almost daily, told this newspaper that their operations have been suspended since Sunday. They explained that heavy vehicles are unable to traverse the trail through the affected area.
The roadway has been a cause of concern for regular users during rainy weather. Some Region 9 residents explained that the roadway is usually scraped in preparation for events in the Rupununi, such as the annual rodeo.
The stretch of road between Annai and Lethem was part of a three-phase project undertaken in the savannah area by the PNC administration but works on that section of the roadway never materialized after the government changed, a resident noted yesterday. It was built as a temporary road, used by a company to transport materials over the usually swampy area.
While responsibility for the maintenance of the road rests with the Public Works Ministry, several companies, in their own interest, have in the past maintained sections of the Linden/Lethem Road. These companies included Omai, when its operations were based in the Region 8 area, and the Mekdeci Mining Company (MMC), which has been undertaking most of the road works along the trail. Timber companies have also played their part in maintaining sections of the road. However, this newspaper understands that parts of the roadway have been in a state of disrepair for months.
Parts of the Linden/Mabura section of the roadway linking Lethem with Georgetown were washed away several weeks ago, as heavy rainfall flooded parts of the main roadways and communities in Region 10. Afterward, a section of the Ituni/Kwakwani trail was washed away after water from the Kamakabra Creek nearby overtopped. The area, along the roadway, located some six miles from Ituni, effectively cut off access to Kwakwani and a temporary bridge has since been built around the affected area.
Residents there told this newspaper yesterday that works to the temporary the bridge, which was built with logs, were largely done by persons from the area. They have since expressed fear that the solution may disintegrate as logging trucks have been traversing the area. They said works officials have not been in the area for some time, since initial works were undertaken.