The Potaro-Siparuni Region – the aching heart of Guyana

Feb 02, 2014 APNU Column, Features / Columnists

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The Potaro-Siparuni Region is situated at the heart of Guyana. Located in the highlands – roughly midway between the Barima-Waini and Cuyuni-Mazaruni Regions to the north and the Rupununi Region to the South – it is the most breathtaking part of the country. The majestic Pakaraimas are celebrated in the patriotic ‘Song of the Republic.’ The magnificent Kaieteur and Orinduik falls are wonders to behold. The scenery is spectacular.
The Potaro-Siparuni Region is home to the Iwokrama International Centre for Rainforest Conservation and Development, a botanical and zoological laboratory of which all Guyanese should be proud. The Region is the setting for an annual, ten-day, 1,000 km ‘Pakaraima Safari’ that is marketed as an exciting frontier experience. The cool mountain temperatures, fertile valleys and moderate rainfall provide a favourable environment for farming. It possesses the selected sites for hydro-electric projects such as those at Amaila Falls, Tumatumari Falls and Chiung River. Its mineral resources have been exploited for decades and continue to contribute billions of dollars to the national treasury.
This well-endowed zone, however, is underdeveloped. Some mined-out parts have degenerated into a mosquito-infested wasteland. Its evergreen forests and pristine waterways are under threat. Its people – mainly Patamona – are poor. Exploiting the economic resources, sustaining the livelihood of the residents and protecting the environment demand a new approach to the administration of this Region.
The most serious problem facing the Region is rooted in the adversarial relations between the People’s Progressive Party Civic administration on the one hand and the Alliance For Change and A Partnership for National Unity-dominated Regional Democratic Council on the other hand. The consequence is that the entire Region is being badly administered by agents of the central government. RDC councilors were obliged to pass a vote of no-confidence against the Regional Executive Officer for his chronic non-cooperation with the Chairman and the elected councillors.
Madhia is the administrative centre of a 20,051 km² region and deserves to be placed on a ‘fast-track’ to become a town with its own mayor and town council. It has, however, the appearance of a neglected frontier village. The ‘gold rush’ over the past five years has exposed the inadequacy of the old system. Its economic activities now require branches of the Guyana Revenue Authority, Guyana Gold Board, the Environmental Protection Agency, other government services and private commercial banks and financial institutions. It also requires a change in the central government’s attitude to the Region.
The education system is inadequate and inappropriate. The image of pupils of Kato Primary School fetching wood for the school kitchen last year has been etched indelibly in the public mind as a metaphor for the state of education administration.  The Region, along with the Barima-Waini, performed worst in the country at the annual National Grade Six Assessment examinations. Severe shortages of teaching materials affect the delivery of education in the primary schools. Patamona-speaking students face challenges in English language teaching. Discipline can be difficult to maintain; 26 students were expelled for marijuana use in 2011, but the problem of substance abuse still seems to persist.
There are only two secondary schools in the entire Region – one at Mahdia and the other at Paramakatoi. The latter is overcrowded and the staff is insufficient for the estimated 600 students. Marijuana use has crept into the school and, a few years ago, 26 students were expelled for alleged substance abuse.
The Region, located west of the Essequibo in a mountainous zone, is difficult and expensive to traverse. The population is small but scattered in 23 villages and seven settlements. In this difficult terrain, only $28M was earmarked for road maintenance The vital 180 km-long Bartica-Potaro trail, which was built over a hundred years ago to connect Mahdia in the Potaro-Siparuni Region to Bartica in the Cuyuni-Mazaruni Region, needs to be reconstructed.
Mahdia can be reached, apart from aircraft flights, by road through Linden. The Essequibo River must be crossed by the privately-owned pontoon service at Mango Landing. Electricity supply has been curtailed from 24 to 12 hours by the state-owned Mahdia Power and Light Company. Water supply is also insufficient owing to the malfunctioning of the Salbora Water Project.
The Regional Hospital is underequipped and understaffed. Health care suffers from the difficulty of distributing pharmaceuticals to satellite villages by all-terrain vehicles – usually the only means of transportation available.  Health problems abound and the Region is said to account for about 30 per cent of all confirmed cases of malaria countrywide. Malaria is linked to sloppy mining practices, poor solid waste management and weak medical support. Garbage finds its way onto the roadside and into the drains and waterways, contributing to creating breeding pools for disease-bearing mosquitoes.
There must be a fresh approach to local government and regional development in order to meet the social, economic and political needs of this important part of Guyana’s territory. The Potaro-Siparuni Region represents Guyana’s natural beauty at its best. It should not be allowed to degenerate into a wasteland.

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