A sitting member of Suriname’s National Assembly (DNA) from the National Democratic Party (NDP) has sounded the alarm over repeated shoulder fires along the busy East-West Connection highway, demanding immediate government action to investigate the blazes and mitigate life-threatening traffic risks they have created. Aziez Salarbaks, the NDP legislator representing the affected region, brought the pressing public safety issue to the floor of a routine DNA plenary session on October 13, outlining how uncontrolled fires between the towns of Wageningen and Nickerie have already created deadly road conditions and been linked to multiple collisions. According to Salarbaks’ testimony, the fires broke out immediately after a private contractor carried out routine vegetation clearing work along the highway shoulders in the area. To date, no official statement has confirmed whether the blazes were the result of accidental negligence or deliberate arson, but Salarbaks notes that the pattern of fires raises significant red flags that warrant a full, transparent investigation by competent authorities. The thick, acrid smoke billowing from the burning shoulder vegetation has drastically reduced visibility for motorists at multiple points along the high-traffic route, turning a major intercity transportation corridor into a danger zone for daily commuters and commercial truckers alike. In addition to calling for a full origin probe, Salarbaks has issued an urgent request to Nickerie’s regional police force to lead the investigation into the cause of the fires, and to the national fire service to deploy resources immediately to fully extinguish any remaining hotspots and put in place preventative measures to stop new blazes from igniting. Salarbaks emphasized that the safety of all people using the highway must be the government’s top priority, warning that officials cannot afford to downplay the risks these ongoing fires pose. The lawmaker’s end goal is a full public accounting of how the fires started, and the implementation of long-term safeguards to prevent this dangerous situation from recurring in the future.
Salarbaks vraagt dringend onderzoek naar bermbranden langs Oost-Westverbinding in Nickerie
