A culvert along the Lethem-Shulinab road in the Rupununi was yesterday washed away as a result of heavy rain rushing down the mountains in the area.
Toshao of Shulinab, Nicholas Fredericks last night used his Facebook page to issue a call to authorities to act swiftly to repair the damage.
In the Facebook post he stated that the culvert is located three miles south of Parikawaru Naawa Village (Upper Takutu/Upper Essequibo).
Fredericks last night told Stabroek News that the section of the road was washed away as a result of “the water coming down the mountain from the rain. The force of water caused it to erode.”
Yesterday morning he said he observed that a small section of the road had washed away and by the afternoon a larger portion was eroded. He noted that the erosion developed after a night of persistent rain.
He stated that if the authorities do not act quickly, the entire road would be washed away. Since the breakaway yesterday morning, residents used two pieces of wood to create a makeshift bridge to traverse the eroded section of the road.
“I will have to inform the REO (Regional Executive Officer) today and they would have to fix it. There is no other alternative road if this one is cut away,” he warned.
Fredericks is of the opinion that moving forward they would need to install concrete culverts since “the tubes that they put in the road are pushed away because of the force of the water.”
The toshao further said that the road had not been maintained for the past five years.
In recent weeks, users of the Linden to Lethem trail have lamented its poor state as a result of rain in the area. Several bridges have also been undermined by heavy equipment.
