Meadowbrook Gardens residents are calling for an immediate halt to the installation of electricity transmission lines through their community, saying work resumed despite a commitment to stop on the disputed section.
The Meadowbrook Gardens Community Group said in a statement on Thursday that project representatives indicated at a recent meeting that work would stop, but installation of the lines resumed without explanation.
According to the group, residents have sought consultation since February on the route, health and safety implications and alternative alignments. It claimed the lines may pass a few feet from homes.
Residents are seeking reasons for the rerouting of the lines, previously proposed for another community where objections were raised, towards Meadowbrook Gardens. They also want an explanation for the non-use of existing reserves bordering the community. The group maintained that it has received no satisfactory explanations or supporting documentation.
"Meaningful consultation cannot simply be an exercise in informing residents of decisions already made," it argued.
The group also raised concerns about electrical safety and long-term exposure to electromagnetic fields. It pointed to the International Agency for Research on Cancer, part of the World Health Organization, which has classified extremely low-frequency magnetic fields as "possibly carcinogenic to humans", based mainly on studies linking prolonged residential exposure to childhood leukaemia.
The group stressed that it supports national development.
"We object to the disputed alignment through our residential community and the apparent failure to adequately consider safer or less intrusive alternatives," it added.
It called on Guyana Power and Light Inc. (GPL) and the relevant authorities to suspend installation of the lines pending consultation, explain in writing why work resumed and justify the change of route. It also sought the release of environmental, health, engineering and safety assessments, an independent review comparing alternative routes, and a further meeting with decision-makers and technical personnel before work continues.
The group urged the Environmental Protection Agency to examine whether the installation has undergone appropriate environmental review, regulatory authorisation and public consultation.
"Our homes are not simply points on an engineering drawing. They are where our families live, our children grow and our community thrives," it concluded.

Piles for the transmission lines