-no action being taken by gov’t
By Khadidja Ba
The drowning of a Venezuelan child in a trench at Ruby, East Bank Essequibo has underlined the plight facing some migrants there and also the security and environmental issues confronting the communities who host them.
What started as a manageable migration situation on the East Bank of Essequibo has spiralled into a difficult situation for both the migrants and residents.
The tragic death of a 3-year-old migrant child, Marco Ezequiel Palma Perez, who drowned in a filthy canal behind makeshift shacks that house slightly fewer than 100 Venezuelan migrants has highlighted the difficult circumstances they face. The child’s body was discovered on November 13, 2024.
For almost five years, Ruby residents have provided food, shelter and support to the migrants fleeing Venezuela’s economic collapse. This hospitality has been consistently noted by Stabroek News (SN) in its coverage of similar situations. On October 27 this year, the Sunday Stabroek reported on the plight of the residents at migrants at Ruby. There has been no change in the situation.
Back in 2023, SN reported on the case of 70 Venezuelans living in a single house in Zeeburg. In response, several local individuals visited the house, distributing cooked meals, clothing, food packages, and other essential items to those in need. Yet, the government has failed to intervene in Ruby, leaving both locals and migrants to suffer in silence.
Residents of Ruby are now living in tense circumstances. Overcrowd-ing, resource shortages and escalating tensions prevail in the Region Three community.
In a community meeting held by President Irfaan Ali on January 19th, 2023 alongside Ministers Deodat Indar, Collin Croal, Charles Ramson Jr. and former Minister Nigel Dharamlall, as well as the Regional Chairman, a local resident drew attention to the growing presence of Venezuelan migrants living in the area. During the meeting, the individual referenced the plight of approximately 30 Venezuelans residing in cramped conditions at a dam, where multiple families were housed in a single structure. The individual mentioned that “some houses have 30 people… the Venezuelans”.
Further footage of the community meeting showed the same dam with the identical galvanized sheet structures photographed by SN more than a year and eight months later.
Landowner Baldeo Sookram, whose rice fields are being hampered by squatters obstructing drainage systems, has been raising alarms for over four years.
“The drains are blocked, the sluices are opened, and the water could flood my fields. I’ve reported it to the police and the NDC (Neigh-bourhood Democratic CounciL), but nothing changes,” he said. “The government is doing nothing.”
These particular migrants who fled Venezuela seeking a better life, are now living in squalor with no access to basic services like healthcare, education, or housing. Children play in filthy trenches, used as both waste disposal sites and swimming pools. “The children here have no future,” said one local woman Priya Ali. “They don’t go to school. Wuh the government doing?”
The situation is even worse for the approximately 50 children living in the squatter settlement. They have no access to education or healthcare, despite international agreements on migrant protection that Guyana has signed.
The environmental situation in Ruby is dire as well. Squatters are polluting the local water supply, with some even slaughtering livestock in the trenches. Sookram has raised concerns about the contamination of water running through his fields, which is critical for irrigation. “If the water levels rise, it could destroy my crops, but no one seems to care,” he said. This pollution has compounded the already dire situation, creating significant health and environmental risks.
At least four ministries have cross-cutting responsibilities here: the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Ministry of Local Government, the Ministry of Human Services and the Ministry of Housing and Water.
