Region 8 villages bemoan escalating cost of living

… say no plane shuttles, food items now a luxury

The unpredictable weather and the ever-present mist which hovers above of the thick forested and mountainous region of the Pakaraimas in Region Eight (Potaro-Siparuni), makes it is undoubtedly one of the most dangerous areas in Guyana to traverse by air, and has had its share of tragic plane crashes and mysterious disappearances in the past up until recently.

Following the latest tragedy which claimed the life of Imran Khan, a pilot attached to Air Services Limited (ASL), the local airline company’s compliance with instructions of Guyana Civil Aviation Authority (GCAA) to have shuttles around the region suspended, has caused grave economic inconveniences for Indigenous communities across the region.
Residents of Chenapou and Karisparu villages are complaining bitterly about the indiscriminate rise in food prices, compounding the already high cost of living in these communities. The last routine shuttle from Mahdia to their communities was on August 28, 2017. Shuttling of essential items are their main means of sourcing food and other basic necessities from the coast via inter-regional plane transports from the region’s mining town.
Air transport remains the primary means of access to these satellite villages in the absence of roads, largely owing to the region’s rough terrain.
A resident of the Chenapou community lamented the crisis breaking the village’s economy.
“We bought rice, flour, sugar and salt for $180 per pound before the crash and now because of no shuttle from Mahdia to Chenapou we now have to pay $260 per pound… chicken is $900 per pound. Everything is at a standstill because of the incident with us and the park (Kaieteur National Park)… no employment.” The resident added that the community is still waiting to determine their next move.
“We are still awaiting the investigation teams to come and do whatever they have to; the people here is wondering why is the Government taking so long to look into the issue knowing it is one that should be treated with urgency…,” the frustrated villager said.
Toshao of Chenapou Village, Edward McGarrell spoke with Guyana Times and indicated that his community is at its wits end and are forced to suffer under conditions where basic requirements such as food items are now costly and scarce; a luxury rather than a necessity.
“No regular passenger flights in or out of here. The business owners charter aircrafts directly from Georgetown that is why the cost climbed so high, the people are finding it hard because there is no sort of employment here other than going into the backdam (mining) that is our main source of income. Our only other option is to go to the border to buy our goods over in Brazil…,” Toshao McGarrell added.
Meanwhile, a representative from Guyana’s major hinterland aviating company, disclosed that the situation stemmed from a temporary arrangement in acquiescence with directions from GCAA, while assuring that shuttles from Mahdia to surrounding villages in the region are expected to reconvene per normal soon.
Following three plane crashes involving shuttle flights, during the month of August, the GCAA in efforts to ensure the safety of travellers and aviation personnel, suspended shuttle operations for domestic air operators on August 30, 2017, to facilitate the reviewing of policies governing conduct shuttle operations in Guyana.
While larger communities in the Potaro-Siparuni region – Paramakatoi and Kato – were not as severely affected as larger business owners were able to charter flights per normal from Georgetown, smaller communities continue to bear the effects of the arrangement. (Paula Gomes)