Abram Zuil, Cullen residents welcome ...

From page 18 we thank the government for doing this for us."

According to Diane Singh, who comes from the village of Cullen on the Essequibo Coast, there used to be a friendly rivalry in cricket matches between the people of Cullen and Abram Zuil. They also enjoyed spending time together on the beaches during weekends and holidays. Unfortunately, Singh explained that this has changed because the land has eroded over the years.

"It is sad to see how the water took up most of the beaches and the land; it made huge sand banks and threw down the mangrove trees... The creek used to be separated by the beaches on both sides, but now everything is in one. You can’t identify what is ocean from what is beach and channel. We can’t stop Mother Nature’s work, but we can help prevent the dam- ages that it can cause, and I am happy that our government is seeing the importance of this," Singh said.

Finally, the Guyana Chronicle spoke with Pert, also known as "Shrimp Man," who explained that he and the other fishermen could have brought their fishing boats up to the channel before, but because of the ocean’s destruction of the beach, they have to walk a long distance sometimes to get to and from their boats.

Pert also said that they are thankful that something is being done to secure the land and bring some relief to the people of the communities.

"When we have high tides, the water sometimes runs over the public road; the land looks like the ocean. Many times, we don’t know where the land is and where the ocean is. So, this is a very good thing that the President is doing. I must also thank Minister Edghill and Minister Indar for making sure that we, the people, are getting the things that we need. I see that the roads and streets are being done on the coast too, and we welcome that and are thankful for it," he added. In addition to the work that is being done on the sea defences, the roads in Somerset and Berks, and Charity, as well as several stretches of the public road along the Essequibo Coast, are currently undergoing repairs.