Mudslide leaves Guaracara/Tabaquite Road impassable

The mudslide along the Guaracara/Tabaquite Road worsened overnight on Wednesday, making the road impassable, and MP Anita Haynes met with constituents who renewed calls to the authorities for a long-term solution.

The residents blamed illegal quarrying at the 17-mile mark for the mudslide, an ongoing problem for the past year.

Haynes told Newsday on Thursday, "We want the road cleared. Before, we were told they were maintaining single-lane traffic.

"We do not even have that. Some people had been basically driving on the retaining wall on the other side of the road."

The Opposition MP said there is an alternative route via Piparo Road. But there is a dilapidated, unsafe bridge. She added that work started on the bridge about a month and a half ago, but stopped on Monday.

From what she was told, the worksite had been vandalised.

"There were incidents where several residents had been victims of robbery," she added.

People had to take alternative routes on Thursday, while some returned home. Many students stayed away from classes because the cars taking them to school couldn't pass and the students opted not to walk through the mud.

A resident who identified herself as Hannah, 64, recalled that officials from the Works and Transport Ministry had visited the area once since the problem began.

"Villagers cleared the road about four-five times, and the ministry representatives came once.

"The mud came down and covered the road for the past few days. This morning, no vehicles could have passed," Hannah said yesterday.

"Two days ago, a truck got stuck in the mud, and villagers had to get a tractor to help the driver. Yesterday, another truck got stuck in the mud. Some vehicles got stuck in the mud trying to pass. Many drivers had no choice but to turn around."

She said she had been living in the area for over 50 years, and for about 25 years, she ran a parlour. Owing to rapid land movement last year, she closed it.

"My parlour was my livelihood.

"When the sun was hot, there was too much dust. Every day we had to clean. The sales van could not pass.

"Today we had no dust. We have the mud," she said.

Although the ministry has been maintaining the road since the mudslide, residents complained this was inadequate.

A resident working in Port of Spain said he uses the Caparo Valley Brasso Road to get to and from work.

Like the MP, he said the bridge at the secondary access road was "unstable."

On the mudslide, he said: "They had the whole dry season to fix the problem, and work had not been done. Nothing was put in place to prevent the mud from getting in the road.

"If they clear the road now and the rain falls, the same thing will happen again. Residents want a permanent fix."

Newsday contacted officials from the ministry for comments. One promised to give feedback, but up to 4 pm, no response was forthcoming.