Throughfares across Region 9 to be rehabilitated by next week – Chairman

In light of the deterioration of several key access routes throughout Region Nine (Upper Takutu-Upper Esequibo) due to inclement weather over the past three months, Public Works Ministry has mobilised several teams across the region to begin remedial works.
These throughfares are expected to be restored to a usable state within the next few days, this is according to the region’s regional chairman Bryan Allicock, who on Tuesday during a telephone interview with Guyana Times revealed that several key areas have already been rehabilitated resuming traffic flow along the Linden to Lethem highway.
“The Bush Mouth trail has already been completed; traffic is passing there now, you have, further down the trail several other areas that are completed and the township of Lethem. By next week already they should complete the entire thing,” he stated.
Moreover, the chairman explained that due to the topography of the soil, heavy rainfall during the rainy season poses a significant threat to the usability of the trail. However, he noted that in an effort to mitigate the effects of rainfall on the road drains are being constructed along certain parts of the trail.
“When the rain comes, regardless of what we try to do, certain parts and certain areas, we never expect to be destroyed. So what we’ll be doing is doing back the road, we’ll be recapping it, you know, and putting tubing and culverts in areas that we think are needed,” he stated.
Meanwhile, several vehicles had remained dormant at the Bush Mouth trail in Wowetta Region Nine in July as a truck which was carrying goods along the route toppled over due to the deteriorating condition of the road.
In June, at least 20 persons in the region were displaced and had to be relocated temporarily with relatives and/or friends. According to information from the Civil Defense Commission (CDC) at the time, homes and other structures had collapsed due to intense rainfall and heavy winds. The commission had set up shelters in a few villages to house affected persons.
Additionally in May, several villages in Region Nine were underwater following the prolonged downpours. Some of the most affected villages were Potarinau, South Central Rupununi, Aishalton, Parishara and Nappi Village. 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 underway thus leaving scores of passengers stranded on both sides. In light of these occurrences, the Civil Defence Commission (CDC) dispatched a team to the affected areas to conduct thorough assessments. In addition, it handed over cleaning supplies to the Regional Authorities to be distributed to the residents.