Region One (Barima/ Waini) Chairman, Mr. Fermin Singh, is saying that the regional administration took steps to ensure that the erosion taking place at Kumaka is being addressed.
“We addressed it and now it is up to the National Tender Board to advertise for bids …a revetment will be built and some landfill work will be done,” he said, in an invited comment.
Climate change has taken in toll across Guyana and at the Kumaka Market, in the Mabaruma sub-district of Region One, some ten feet of roadway has been taken over by the Aruka River.
Singh explained that the work could not be handled by the regional administration.
When asked, he noted that addressing the erosion of the road took some time because of the bureaucratic processes.
“You had to justify the expenditure of that money…the process did take some time; but work will be started soon and completed before the end of the year,” the Regional Chairman said.
Mr. Cy Rodriguez, Senior Superintendent of Works with the regional administration, speaking to the Chronicle, said engineers from the Ministry of Public Works visited Kumaka in February.
“The Region did not have the capacity to do the assessment so the engineers were sent out to do it,” he said.
Rodriguez explained that the 10 feet of road that was taken over by the river used to be a bus park.
Meanwhile, residents in the area agree that they welcome the undertaking since it is a fact that unless something is done the erosion will continue.