THE VILLAGES OF ST CROIX ROAD and Jaipaulsingh Road in Princes Town may soon be cut off as a result of a series of landslides which have destroyed at least six homes over the past few months.
Recent rainfall has accelerated the erosion and an appeal has been made by affected residents for the State to intervene, similar to what was done on the east coast as a result of flooding and the collapse of the Manzanilla-Mayaro Road.
Three home owners have accepted the starter house grants accessed through the Self Help Programme, but one family has refused to leave.
Member of Parliament for Naparima, Nizam Baksh, confirmed to the Express that three houses have collapsed due to landslides.
Minister of Works and Infrastructure Dr Surujrattan Rambachan said a retaining wall will be erected.
Nadia Singh, 39, an affected resident, said she was worried that her house would be completely destroyed and hopes the politicians would help.
Another resident, Shaheed Mohammed, president of the Lengua Improvement Welfare and Cultural Organisation, said makeshift walls using steel sheets used at the landslip sites have been “useless”.
He said excavators contracted to fix the road have been “making a bad situation even worse”. (Trinidad Express)
