BY SVETLANA MARSHALL
Ronald Harsaywack
Mahdia, Region Eight, is on the “verge of transformation”, Regional Executive Officer Ronald Harsaywack told this publication. According to him, the landscape is gradually changing from a slum to a scheme with modern towering edifices.
Mahdia, situated in the Potaro-Siparuni region, which is famous for its gold-mining activities, is inhabited by three primary groups: the Patamonas, coastlanders and immigrants from the Caribbean and neighbouring Brazil.
The gold rush is having a trickle-down effect, but on a positive note. According to Harsaywack, the commercial sector is on the rise, with a wide cross-section of commercial services being offered, from supplying groceries to mechanical services, to hospitality and Information Communication Technology (ICT) services.
Mining activities
“Due to the influx of people and mining activities, there is a spin-off effect, even in the transportation [sector], with increasing numbers of taxis and minibuses.”
In the area of infrastructure, the regional executive officer said the commercial and residential sectors are now changing from wooden to concrete structures, ranging from flat concrete buildings to three-storey buildings.
“The Mahdia you know three, four years ago, is not the Mahdia we have today. Without a doubt, I can say, there are improved facilities and services,” he posited.
Faced with problems
But like many other communities within the country, Mahdia is faced with several problems. “Well, of course, those things come with their negative impacts, like in any other region. We are forced to deal with the issue of security, issue of environmental soundness and social ills that we have to deal with.”
In the area of security, he explained that due to the sparse and mountainous settlements, ranks of the Guyana Police Force operating within the sub-district cannot effectively execute their duties, noting that often times they cannot carry out frequent patrols.
“If the police are at one location and something happens or they receive intelligence for them to get to a different location within a timeframe”, the terrain makes that difficult.
No official report
According to Harsaywack, with a porous security system and increasing movement of people, illicit drugs and even guns and ammunition are reportedly trafficked easily.
Prostitution, child labour, robberies and murders are also areas of concern, he said. “We had two cases where we found under age children working in the backdam.”
Asked about human trafficking, Harsaywack said while there have been informal reports that TIP exists within the mining community, there has never been an official report.
“When you walk on the road, you hear people talk about people being trafficked, but we have never had a documented case, so there is nothing on record that says persons have been trafficked to Mahdia.”
Meanwhile, in the electricity sector, much is left to be desired. Since the commencement of the year, residents have been plagued with power outages for extensive periods caused by a plethora of problems.
It was only earlier this month that the community started receiving 18 hours of electricity. Initially, it was supplied with 12 hours of power after the power company, Mahdia Power and Light (MPL) started experiencing financial difficulties.
In a quest to clear the air of any misconception, Harsaywack explained that a 650-kilovolt-amperes (kVA) generator set and a 355-kVA generator are the main source of electricity in the mining community.
However, during the peak period, only 30 percent of the electricity generated is utilised.
“The load is not there, so we produce electricity, but the people are not there to take off the electricity because of that, the revenues are not enough.”
Through the Office of the Prime Minister, a smaller generator set is being sourced to eliminate the problem, the regional officer posited, noting that the situation would likely get better in 2014.
“So with that smaller gen set, we will be using less fuel… hopefully, we should have a balance with revenues coming in and inputs in terms of fuel and operation cost,” an optimistic Harsaywack said.
