Residents on the Island of Leguan in the Essequibo River are calling on Government to urgently fix the ferry stelling since it is on the verge of collapse, warning that if emergency works are not executed immediately, then there is the potential for loss of lives since the stelling’s collapse is imminent.
One of the rotten support posts
Guyana Times visited the Island on Saturday where several residents, and even visitors, expressed their dissatisfaction with the state of the stelling. The timber planks supporting the stelling are rotten and this has caused fear for residents since heavy vehicles traverse the stelling. In addition, the decking is loose and uneven, with rails hanging on to literally nothing on certain sections on the ramp.
Outspoken resident, Hans Buer, said he raised the issue of the stelling with Public Infrastructure Minister David Patterson on several occasions, which resulted in the Minister responding to him on social media promising to have it fixed. He said the stelling has been in that deplorable state for over one and a half years and is rapidly deteriorating but no system is being put in place to have it addressed.
The loose decking on the stelling
“Minister Patterson messaged me (on Facebook) that the stelling will be repaired for about $150 million and it will come in the next budget (2019). They won’t do it this year. They tried last year with emergency repairs because anytime the stelling could collapse,” he said.
Buer noted that apart from that communication sometime late 2017 and a follow-up earlier 2018, they have heard nothing else from the Public Infrastructure Ministry. However, he did say that Patterson pitched the idea of concrete posts for the stelling but they were told that would require additional funds which Government does not have at this time.
The residents said putting concrete posts and wood decking serves no purpose hence they are calling for a fully concrete stelling, noting that it would last longer with little to no repairs.
“Laden vehicles cannot use the lower ramp because it will fall out. The decking is unlevelled. You can fall. When the boat come in at nights, it is horrible because the stelling has no lights, passengers fall over the little rails and some of the boards on the decking have holes,” Buer noted.
Buer told Guyana Times that in addition to lose decking and rotten posts, the lower ramp used to load laden vehicles onto the ferry is in such a deplorable state that vehicles are unable to access it. Vehicles have to wait until the tide is high enough for them to access the high ramp to off/on-load, which affects the business community since critical goods cannot be delivered in time and farmer’s produce perishes.
Taxi driver Kelvin (only name given), said he has been a taxi driver on the island for a number of years and the stelling is the main hub for passengers but its current state results in the island seeing a decline. He explained that despite the deplorable state of the facility, they are being forced by the security guards to pay for gate passes every time they use the ramp but no consideration is being given to the damage of their vehicles.
“The stelling been in this condition here for a good time and passengers all does walk right here and stump them foot and fall down all pon the stelling but the people them there don’t care,” the angry man said.
“This stelling bruck down here, heavy vehicle can’t come on yah. The lower ramp ah float away. It ah happen long. Watch down deh where the wood drop the stelling drop. Heavy vehicle can’t go on deh. We want a new stelling… this stelling is nah good,” another resident lamented.
Ferry service
For years, the issue of an unreliable ferry service has plagued the island but according to the residents, the issue has gotten worse over the last year since the MV Sandaka started encountering mechanical problems. The engine of the MV Sandaka was reportedly damaged a few months ago and emergency repairs were executed. However, it failed again a few days after and now the MV Malali is servicing Leguan. The MV Sandaka is docked at Mazaruni awaiting a new engine.
“The MV Malali comes and makes the morning service on Wednesday, Saturday and Sunday. For many people it is sad. People can’t go in a speedboat when they sick because the (Leguan Cottage) Hospital doesn’t have everything. They can go only on Wednesday and when they want to go back so they have to wait for the 4pm (16:00h) steamer if it is going at that time. Sometimes it goes later because they have wait on the boats to come from Bartica,” Buer explained.
On Saturday, the MV Malali docked at the Leguan Stelling sometime around 11:15h and had, on board, at least two laden trucks that were still waiting to be offloaded at 15:30h when a Guyana Times news team was preparing to depart the island.
When enquires were made, this publication was told by the boat’s engineer, who was having a drink at a nearby Chinese restaurant, that the boat would leave the Island at approximately 17:00h when the tide rises so they can off/on-load laden vehicles.
A few hours after arriving in Georgetown, a resident of the island, Patricia Peters, informed this publication that they were informed that there would be no ferry leaving the island.
Residents say they are fed-up with the substandard treatment meted out to them and are demanding change in the management of the ferry system.
