(Trinidad Guardian) Drupattie Mangroo, 38, is the mother of three children, 13, 12 and six. However, she is now unable to perform motherly duties, as she is gravely ill after contracting COVID-19.
Mangroo, already stricken with poverty, lives at Pipecon Road in Carlsen Field and recently lost everything in her humble home due to floods in the area.
“I lost everything to the floods. My house is nothing now and very deplorable. Since that happened, a neighbour took me in for a few months and took care of me and my children. Now that I’m so sick, I am by some relatives and my children are by their grandmother because I’m unable to take care of them,” Mangroo said yesterday.
Mangroo was diagnosed with scoliosis and recently, doctors told her that her body was gathering fluid and poor circulation of the blood was detected.
“I was hospitalised for some time and when they drained the fluids I came out but then I ended up getting more sick and end up in Couva with COVID-19 on September 16 and I take the treatment and came back out,” Mangroo said.
A neighbour added that they are all sorry to see what Mangroo is going through and pleaded for any kind of assistance from members of the public.
“We all need help in the back here but she needs it more than us right now. She has difficulties in breathing and could hardly walk because of her swollen feet. She don’t have a home anymore and is bunking by relatives, but she needs medical care and help to rebuild her home and help for her children as well. Anything at all for her we will welcome,” Mangroo’s neighbour Kelly-Ann Phillip said.
Last week Thursday, some residents were served with Quit and Trespassing notices from the Land Settlement Agency, giving them seven days to leave the area. However, residents claim that most of them have been occupying the lands for more than 20 years and as much as 35 years in some cases.
Most of the residents are either single mothers or have lost their jobs during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Mangroo’s neighbour said both she and her husband lost their jobs and have been forced to operate a small vegetable stall to try to make ends meet.
“I have three children—17 years, four and a year. It is very hard for us because it have no electricity in the back here. For my daughter to do her online classes, it was phonecard I had to keep buying for data. It’s very hard for us and now with these notices, it’s even more harder and worrisome,” Phillip said.
Caroni Central MP Arnold Ram on Sunday met with several residents of Pipecon Road in Carlsen Field who were given the eviction notices last week.
Ram assured them that he will attempt to make contact with the Commissioner of State Lands, Bhanmatie Seecharan, on the matter.
However, questions sent to the Commissioner of State Lands on the status of the residents since Sunday remained unanswered and calls went unanswered.