The plight of residents of Maria’s Pleasure, Wakenaam Island to have the broken seawall repaired has been heard and works are expected to commence next Tuesday, according to Chairman of the Neighbourhood Democratic Council (NDC) Zakhir Khan.
According to the residents, approximately 50 feet of the seawall have collapsed since late December of last year and several complaints have been made to the NDC to have it repaired but to no avail.
When Stabroek News visited the Island, sandbags could be seen serving as the sea defence. Despite the situation, no resident was flooded but they noted that whenever the tide is high, the water would overlap the sandbags that were placed to avoid further erosion of the wall and flood their yards, reaching about a foot high regularly.
“Come when is full moon and see how this water a run in the yard like a drain,” said one resident. She added that they would have to evacuate to higher ground during the spring tide because they are constantly flooded and whatever crops produced in her kitchen garden would usually die because of the water.
However, Khan told Stabroek News that the inclement weather and the tide, which is usually high during the day, were affecting the start of works. He added that the NDC does not have a floodlight to work in the night when the tide is low. However, by next Tuesday the tide is expected to be more manageable to allow the start of repairs.
”Because of the tide works could not have commenced but by Tuesday the tide will be better and we will start laying the planks,” Khan said, while noting that preparatory work in the area is being done.
Khan said the project is a joint effort between the NDC and the National Drainage and Irrigation Authority (NDIA), which will provide all the materials and the labour to have it completed.
He also said that he was aware of the breach as he traversed the area on a daily basis. He said he initially made contact with NDIA, requesting assistance to have it fixed, and he was given the go ahead. But he was later called by one of the engineers, who informed that an excavator was no longer available, resulting in a delay in the completion of the remedial works on the Island’s sea defence. Khan further stated that it was after the media highlighted the plight of the residents that he received a call from the same engineer telling him that the machines were available and he was instructed to proceed with the works.
Head of NDIA Lionel Wordsworth said that he was unaware of any such complaint and the approval for the use of the excavator stood and that the NDC could go ahead and utilize it.
