Residents and businesspersons located close to the seawall behind Number 78 Village at Corriverton, West Coast Berbice are concerned about damaged sections of the seawall which they said had eroded over the past several years.

Part of the eroded wall

Secretary of the Upper Corentyne Chamber of Commerce and Industry (UCCI), Sachie Ramnauth told Stabroek News yesterday that she observed sections of the seawall behind her place of business with huge cracks over the past several months. She said she made several attempts over the past few months to bring the issue to the attention of the Ministry of Public Works but has so far been unsuccessful. Efforts by this newspaper to obtain a comment yesterday from the Ministry of Public Works on the issue proved futile.

Ramnauth said she spoke to someone attached to the Ministry’s office in the Corentyne area and was informed that repairs to the damaged sections of the seawall will have to go through a tendering process. However, the businesswoman related that that was several months ago and to date the problem has not been addressed.

She said that there are several holes in the seawall structure which runs from the Corriverton Market to Number 78 village. Ramnauth said that businesspersons are worried about the current state of affairs, noting that some are fearful that their properties may be damaged during the high tide, which would result in significant economic losses.

Damaged sections of the seawall located behind the Corriverton Market, on the Corentyne. (Photo courtesy of the Upper Corentyne Chamber of Commerce and Industry)

Meanwhile, Ramnauth said that another problem affecting the community is the dumping of garbage by persons in the area in the Corentyne River behind her village. She said after a while the garbage would wash up behind her home and the homes of several other residents.