Senior Multimedia Reporter
radhica.sookraj@guardian.co.tt
Heavy rains are causing further slippages along Williams Smith Road, Mantacool, Tableland where the road and several houses have already collapsed.
Three other houses are in danger as the landslip continues to sink further, pulling down trees, concrete structures, electricity poles and disrupting waterlines.
Frustrated with a lack of response by the authorities, residents pooled $17,000 last month and did rehabilitative work themselves, allowing narrow access along the collapsed Williams Smith Road.
But this has not been enough as the May showers caused deep cracks along the passageway.
When Guardian Media visited the community on Wednesday morning, residents were in distress. Russell Lookhoor, whose home is leaning precariously into the precipice, refused to come out of his house.
“He doesn’t think this makes sense. We protested several times this year and they did nothing to the road. People don’t have much hope,” his neighbour Rekha Harbajan said.
Her home, a two-story concrete structure, is also in danger of collapse and Harbhajan said they have already spent exorbitant sums trying to save the house.
“My home is breaking down. The land underneath is coming down, walls are breaking off and the land is pulling to the right. We are facing real danger here. It is frightening in the night especially when rain falls, because we never know what can happen,” she said.
Stanley Ramnath and his wife Basdaye, another couple residing in the area, lost their entire two-story house due to the landslip last August. The couple and eight other members of their family have since moved out.
The elderly members of the community expressed their concerns, particularly about emergency vehicles being unable to enter the area.
Devakinandan Seepaul, a 75-year-old resident said: “I’m a sickly person, and I am worried that if something happens to me inside here, no ambulance can come in. I will have to remain home there and dead.”
When contacted, Moruga/Tableland Member of Parliament Michelle Benjamin highlighted the residents’ sense of neglect and the lack of government assistance. She claimed despite writing over 10 letters to Works and Transport Minister Rohan Sinanan, no aid has been provided to the affected families.
Efforts to contact Sinanan were unsuccessful, with calls and messages going unanswered. However, a source at the ministry said the project had been put out for tender and that repairs would be initiated once funds became available.