Government Assesses Damage As Farmland Collapses In Los Iros

Dozens of farmers along R.E. Road in Los Iros have lost thousands of dollars in damaged crops and infrastructure due to what is believed to be the lingering effects of seismic activity linked to a 2018 earthquake.

The farmers were notified of the devastating news on Friday morning.

Crop farmer Ishwar Bholai is one of the farmers unable to access his land.

He told TTT News: "So I decide to leave and go down by my garden to see what going on and the more you walking good is the more you seeing the land slipping and going down. Now if you walking and you don't watch where you putting your foot, you could break your foot. It have places, let's say about 15 foot depth, the land open big."

During a visit to the area on Sunday, Acting Minister of Agriculture, Land and Fisheries, Saddam Hosein, said the decision was made to visit the farmers and assess the damage immediately after the Ministry received news of the event.

"We are here to look at the exact situation. We are here not only to identify the problem but what is important is getting the solution. This is part of our nation's food basket and we have to take care of these farmers. We have to treat them with the respect that they deserve. We have had a brief meeting just now. They spoke to us about issues with respect to salvaging whatever crops that they may have on the farm, alternative access, and various other issues."

Senior Geophysicist at Touchstone Exploration, Gavin Elsley, said the extent of the damage is very significant. He noted the effects of the rainy season may also be exploiting existing lines of weakness along fault lines.

"There is huge movement along faults so the road up there is offset by at least fifty feet and there is a lot of deformation taking place, you know folding, faulting, landslides. I've never seen anything like it before."

Member of Parliament for La Brea and Minister in the Ministry of Public Utilities, Clyde Elder, reiterated the Government’s commitment to assist farmers in navigating the situation.

"We really want to assess what is the situation here today and to see how best we could assist the farmers in however way we can assist the farmers. It may be some short term assistance, medium term, long term. It might be something that we can do, it may be things that we cannot do, because, after all, this is acts of God."

Exploration Manager at Touchstone Exploration, Xavier Moonan, warned that the likelihood of this situation worsening is high, as the concentration of water continues to increase, creating sliding surfaces for further slippage.