Overturned lorry halts traffic flow along Lethem trail – Regional Chairman

– says more rainfall can result in severe destruction of infrastructure

Traffic along the Lethem trail has come to a complete halt after a lorry carrying goods turned turtle in the vicinity of Wowetta, Region Nine (Upper Takutu-Upper Essequibo).
This was caused by the deteriorated condition along the trail, which in itself is due to heavy downpours in the area.
Regional Chairman Bryan Allicock revealed that the inclement weather in the region has led to sections of the Bush Mouth Trail deteriorating significantly, thus becoming a challenge for vehicles traversing the route. Moreover, the Chairman noted that due to the overturned truck, the flow of traffic along the route has been halted. As such, he noted that efforts are being made to acquire an excavator to remove the truck from the middle of the road.
He added that once the lorry is removed, immediate work would be facilitated to rehabilitate that section of the trail, so that the flow of traffic could be returned to normalcy.

“We’re waiting on some tractor to go in to move that truck out of the way, and then we will probably engage that same contractor to refill the holes so the traffic could start again, but we got to pray that the rain doesn’t continue,” the Regional Chairman added.
Additionally, Allicock highlighted that with the current increase of rainfall in the region, the water levels have begun to rise significantly, and as such, if heavy rain persists, the runoff from the nearby mountains can cause much more severe damage to the trail as well as present a high risk of flooding.
“Right now the rain coming into Lethem, and the water is coming up too. So, I’m just praying that it doesn’t come higher, because if it comes higher, is work for us and more expenditure, because we will have to relocate people from their homes. So, I’m praying it doesn’t reach back to that stage. We are monitoring the water coming in from the Takutu, because we know the water is coming down from the Amazon into the rear bank, and of course the mountain runoff,” he said.
Earlier in the month, some 20 families were displaced and have been relocated temporarily with relatives and/or friends. It has been reported that homes and other structures have collapsed due to intense rainfall and heavy winds.

Several shelters were established in a few villages to house affected persons. Assistance in the form of cleaning and food hampers, mosquito nets and buckets has been distributed to the affected persons across the region.
Back in May, Potarinau, South Central Rupununi, Aishalton, Parishara and Nappi Village were completely flooded. In addition to these villages, several bridges and roads were not accessible to vehicular traffic. One such bridge was the Iwokrama Reserve, approximately 15 minutes away from the Kurupukari Crossing.
In addition, the Pirara to Lethem Road was completely inundated and was subsequently washed away, leaving scores of passengers stranded on both sides.
Despite some challenges to transport materials to the location, the bridge was eventually rebuilt and reopened to vehicular traffic.