-swollen Pirara Creek poses new threat
Rain continues to hamper works along the Linden/ Lethem trail and the Pirara Creek along the way has swollen to its maximum level.
Bus operators told this newspaper yesterday that the weather continues to hamper road works being carried out by the authorities along the trail. Lethem and neighbouring communities experienced almost six hours of non-stop rainfall yesterday and according to residents when it is not raining within the savannah area, water would drain down the mountains into the flat lands.
The Pirara Creek runs over a section of the road linking Annai and Lethem and minibus drivers noted yesterday that the rising water levels have seen the approaches to the Pirara Bridge being flooded within the past few days. The bridge is located approximately 20 miles south of the Hunt Oil Stretch, which has been the subject of the major road works.
A minibus operator who travelled to Lethem last week told Stabroek News yesterday that the Pirara Bridge is “the highest point along the trail” and he noted that if the section of the roadway at the location becomes impassable “all road access to the region would be cut- off.” He said that the road had been in a “bad state” over the past several weeks but according to him the situation has worsened recently.
Around 4 pm yesterday, the driver said that he was preparing to leave Lethem for Georgetown with close to a dozen passengers and according to him if he was lucky he might reach the Coastland by twilight today.
At Cork Wood, a location close to the Iwokrama Rainforst reserve, the road was said to be slippery and filled with thick slush yesterday. A tractor had been at the location over the past several weeks to aid minibuses through that section of the road.
Other road users related yesterday that the authorities were not providing the general public with a true picture of events regarding the road and the contractor was complimented for doing his best with regards to fixing the road. One person described the situation along the Hunt Oil stretch as “building a road in the middle of a river.”
Over the weekend, the Government Information Agency (GINA) reported Minister of Transport and Hydraulics Robeson Benn as saying that repairs to a stretch of 300 feet along the Hunt Oil road had to be completed and the Ministry was hoping to complete repairs within three days provided the weather is conducive. GINA said that 5.5 miles of the 6.5-mile Hunt Oil stretch has been successfully restored. GINA quoted Benn as saying that currently, pick-ups are traversing the area, transporting passengers and essential cargo.
The Minister said that the affected section is retaining water whenever it rains and that it is proving to be problematic, in that the laterite is thin at the point and vehicles might break through the surface. He urged residents not to panic as plans are there to ensure adequate supplies of essential items.