Lethem trail repairs get dry weather assist

Parts of the Lethem trail have been fixed while one section remains difficult to navigate, after weeks of ongoing repairs.

The Hunt Oil Stretch, located between Annai and Lethem, has been fixed, with almost one week of dry weather facilitating works being undertaken there.

A minibus operator, who left the area for the coastland, yesterday told Stabroek News that the dreaded Cork Wood section of the road remained impassable but he expressed hope that this part of the trail would be fixed soon.

He said that the Cork Wood area, located south of the Iwokrama Rainforest Centre, was slushy when he travelled into the savannah region on Saturday. He noted that works are on-going in the area and with the rains subsiding in the highland region it is hoped that the situation will return to normal there.

The section of the road lies in a mountainous area under the forest canopy and as such drainage has been difficult recently. The Works Ministry had outlined several deadlines for works being affected to the road to be completed, with rainy weather being a determining factor.

The Brazilians last week submitted a proposal to President Bharrat Jagdeo for “his consideration” outlining how some funding could be secured to pave the trail. Brazil’s Undersecretary-General for South and Central America and the Caribbean, Ambassador Antonio Jose Ferreira Simoes, who was in Guyana for a one-day visit, said that the road is a “priority” in Guyana-Brazil relations.