MARACAS, 6 OTHER VILLAGES CUT OFF

Sixty major landslides along the North Coast Road between the Pillars and Blanchisseuse, and described as “extremely dangerous,” have resulted in seven villages being cut off from the rest of the country. By midday yesterday, the North Coast Road leading to the villages of Maracas,  Grandford Road, Old Bay Road,  Las Cuevas, La Filette, and Rincon was ordered closed to the motoring public. Some of the villages were without electricity and since TTEC repair crews are unable to reach them, relief seemed some time off. Minister of Works, Franklin Khan was unable to view the landslides yesterday, but gave the assurance that every effort was being made to bring relief to the affected villagers.

The minister said the available resources were deployed to clear the roadway, with workmen working around the clock. He said a plan was put in place to protect the existing soil from further slippages. The landslides, some resulting in huge boulders being thrown on to the North Coast Road, started on Tuesday afternoon after persistent rains. Several areas along the North Coast Road remained blocked with fallen trees, huge boulders, dirt and rocks. Several bulldozers were seen clearing away the dirt and fallen trees, but Roger Ganesh, acting Director of Highways, described the situation as “worse than we expected.” He said that based on the severity of the situation a decision was taken to close off the North Coast Road until the end of the week.

Ganesh said the Ministry of Works would embark on a repair programme to prevent further land slippages. The funds for the repair programme were released yesterday for the work to be carried out along the North Coast Road. He said he was praying for the rains to cease so that further slippages would not occur. Ganesh advised villagers affected by the situation to desist from walking close to the area of the landslides, since loose soil could prove to be dangerous. By late afternoon, road clearing continued apace. The raping of the hills along the North Coast Road by farmers cutting away the soil to plant vegetables and build houses was identified as one of the contributing factors for the many landslides.