Bamboo blues
Fishermen cry for help to remove plant from river, sea
LUCEA, Hanover — Fishermen who utilise a fishing village in the town of Lucea are crying for assistance to have bamboo that has entrapped their boats at sea removed.
In April, bamboo which blocked the Lucea West River Bridge (Riley River Bridge) — causing the town to be flooded — was cleared by men. While some of the removed bamboo was placed on the side of the road, the Jamaica Observer noticed the majority was being pushed under the bridge. The floating bamboo was then pushed at sea by the river.
Days later, the sea tide began pushing the bamboo ashore at the western end of the Lucea Harbour.
Piwi, a third-generation fisherman, told the Observer that over the past three and a half weeks the majority of the more than 50 fishermen who use the fishing village have been left marooned. Piwi noted that it is a challenge to remove the bamboo that has entrapped their boats on the coastline.
“Ah nuh bwoy it tek fi move dem sinting ah mawning time, an it cum een lakka say nuhbadi ah pay wi nuh mind,” expressed the frustrated fisherman.
Piwi pointed to an incident during which they tried burning a stockpile of bamboo they had cleared from the water, “but di only attention wi get was dem sending fire engine fi out it”.
He noted that while he and another fishermen have been trying to have the area cleared so that they can go fishing, the tedious and fruitless efforts have caused the majority of fishermen to give up and stay home. This he said has resulted in a loss of approximately $40,000 in daily sales.
Noting that a boat engine could cost over $700,000, Piwi argued that they have to be careful, as navigating some of the bamboo floating at sea could damage the engine’s propeller.
Another fisherman who gave his name as Kenrick disclosed that this is the worst he has ever seen the situation over the past 17 years he has been fishing in the area.
He said three heaps of bamboo have been burnt but as soon as they clear and stockpile them, more keep washing ashore.
A few days ago Mayor of Lucea Sheridan Samuels, who visited the fishermen, said while the burning of the bamboo is not good, he understands the plight of the fishermen who he said have families to feed.
The mayor, who had disclosed that the National Works Agency (NWA) had subcontracted the work, said he is expecting the agency to take some action regarding the unsupervised work.
On Thursday, Mayor Samuels told the monthly general meeting of the Hanover Municipal Corporation that the NWA is not paying attention to the chaos created in the town.
The mayor, in pointing to an estimate done by the corporation to have the bamboo removed, said this is a common recurrence where the corporation has always had to do the work of the NWA.
While not giving details of the estimate, the corporation’s Roads and Works Department Chief Engineering Officer Dwayne Johnson told the meeting that “we went there and saw the need for it to be cleared. So, we took the initiative to do an estimate”.
The mayor said the corporation is awaiting dialogue with the NWA.
When contacted, the NWA’S community relations officer, Western Region, Janelle Ricketts said the agency is doing its best to see what can be done to have the bamboo cleared in the shortest time.
She noted that the build out of the fishing village will make it challenging for equipment to access the beach and remove the material.
Ricketts said the bamboo that blocked the bridge was apparently cut and is therefore encouraging the public to be careful in how they clear their land. The bamboo that entered the harbour came through the Lucea West River (Riley River) and the Lucea East River (Kew). The bamboo is used to keep the river banks and road network from erosion in the rural areas of the parish.
“We are really encouraging persons to be careful of how they clear the land and dispose of these materials because they eventually find their way downstream and cause greater challenges,” Ricketts cautioned.