Senior Reporter
otto.carrington@cnc3.co.tt
Communities along Tamana Hill Road and Los Armadillos Road in Guaico say they have been left isolated, frustrated, and desperate after the only access routes into the area deteriorated to the point of being impassable, an escalating crisis residents blame on years of neglect, poor maintenance, and a lack of representation.
Long-time resident Prakash Balroop, who has lived in the area for more than 50 years, said the collapse was predictable and preventable.
“This is the only passable road we have, and the lack of maintenance caused this whole situation. People are frustrated,” Balroop told Guardian Media.
“No vehicles can pass. Parents can’t even collect their children from school.”
Balroop said repeated calls to their councillor have gone unanswered.
“Last year, he told me he had material for the road. When he had material, the machinery break down. When machinery fix, no material. It’s a constant back and forth.”
Brian Lalla, a resident of Guaico-Tamana and a student of the University of the West Indies, who works on the western side of Trinidad, said the journey out of his community had become nearly impossible.
“I use Los Armadillos Road to go to work. It takes me about three hours to get out,” Lalla said.
“The road is in deplorable condition. We haven’t seen our councillor, Keon Saroopsingh, since the last election. He just visited, shake everybody hand—that was it. No material, no repairs, just promises.”
Lalla said even when material is brought, it washes away due to poor drainage and erosion. He added that Member of Parliament Shivana Sam and officials from the Works Ministry have never been taken into the area by local representatives to witness the condition firsthand.
Residents also blamed ruptured Water and Sewerage Authority lines for accelerating the destruction of the roadway.
Lalla said the water lines, some as old as 15 years, continued to break and wash away whatever temporary repairs were done.
He said, “At the intersection at Los Armadillos Road, they fix the lines more than five times in the last two months. The water keeps washing away the milling material. The road real bad.”
Essential services have also been affected. Garbage trucks have not been able to enter the area this week because the road is too dangerous.
“They come once or twice a week, but they couldn’t access. The road too bad,” Lalla said.
The worsening conditions have also become a safety hazard. On Wednesday, a large tree fell across the road, blocking residents for nearly three hours.
“We had to wait for them to come and cut the tree. The erosion causing the land to pull. Every day it is getting worse,” Lalla said.
Overgrown vegetation from the T&T Electricity Commission’s clearing operations is also contributing to damage, he added.
“They clear overhead lines and leave the bamboo and branches on the edge of the road. When you pull aside for another vehicle, you’re pulling into bamboo, bursting tires, damaging vehicles. Nobody compensating us.”
Residents estimate nearly 150 people are affected, including schoolchildren who now have to walk the three-mile stretch out of the community—sometimes taking almost an hour—through mud, overgrown grass, and washed-out areas.
Lalla said villagers have been forced to fund their own emergency repairs, including one resident who spent almost $4,000 to buy pitch to fill potholes, even hiring a truck that struggled to reach the location because of the deteriorated roadway.
“We beg the councillor. We beg the MP. Visit the area. Hear us,” Lalla said. “But no representation at all. Nothing from the corporation.”
Councillor for Cumuto/Tamana, Keon Saroopsingh, told Guardian Media he was aware of the residents’ concerns and said the area had already been placed on a priority list.
He added that he found it “very strange” that residents were complaining, noting that remedial works had already begun in the community.
