Minister reports…

Housing, Water Ministry did exceedingly well in 2011
THE DEMAND for housing and water is among the most critical needs of the citizenry of any country, and in recognition thereof, the Government of Guyana, through the Ministry of Housing and Water, has sought to ensure that all its people gain access to these services.
“The Ministry of Housing and Water has surpassed all its targets for 2011… Under the Housing portfolio of the Ministry, there was a target of 6,500 allocations for 2011, and a target of processing 6,500 titles/transports. The Ministry was able to make 8,981 allocations, which represent 140% of its target for allocations, and processed 7,325 titles/transports, which represent 112.7% of its target in this regard,” Housing and Water Minister Irfaan Ali has revealed.
In existing housing schemes, 62.24 km of roads and 124.88 km of drains were completed, and 15 km of pipelines were laid in 2011.
Minister Ali made these disclosures on Friday, during his end-of-year press conference held in the Ministry’s boardroom on Brickdam, where he credited these achievements to the hardworking staff of the Housing and Water Ministry.
While recognizing that there is still much to be done to improve on services offered to Guyanese, Minister Ali said the successes achieved within these two critical sectors have once again manifested themselves in 2011 with the continued development of housing schemes; the regularization and upgrade of squatter settlements through the granting of transports and certificates of title to land; and the provision of services such as access roads, water distribution, and drainage networks.

New Schemes, new initiatives
To construct roads, drains and structures in 13 new housing schemes, G$2.56 billion has been spent, resulting in the completion of 88.7 km of roads and 173.9 km of drains, together with the laying of 96.4 km of pipelines.   
This investment serviced 5,647 house-lots, to the benefit of approximately 23,153 persons.
Another important aspect of the Ministry’s work has been the use of information technology, whereby, focus was placed on the continued expansion of the Geographic Information System (GIS) which captures and maps spatial data in schemes and areas under the community planning projects, involving areas in Regions Three, Four, Five, Nine and 10.
In the New Year, the GIS will be expanded and used as an effective management tool for the Central Housing & Planning Authority (CH&PA), Ali revealed.
Under urban planning, design perspectives and guidelines for the Brickdam Streetscape Project have been completed. Intensive stakeholder participation sessions to garner support for and input into this project were carried out, and it will be implemented this year.
This project will see revitalization, modernization and the upliftment of Brickdam into a modern, state-of-the-art street comparable to any in the world.
There is ongoing collaboration on the development of the Parliamentary Square, and plans have been completed for the development of the Stabroek Market Square.
Approximately 800 applications for permission to use land for business and other building purposes have been processed, and several of these were for new businesses in housing schemes.
According to Minister Ali, this indicates the progressive development of these schemes as full fledged communities.  
One such area is the New Eccles Housing Scheme, for which approval has been granted for more than five light industrial commercial complexes, which are expected to employ more than 300 persons when completed.

Improving existing services
Another critical department of the Ministry of Housing and Water is the Community Roads Improvement Project (CRIP), which focuses primarily on the rehabilitation of access roads to double bituminous surface treatment or asphaltic concrete roads. Drains, culverts, bridges, and the provision of safety features such as signage, road markings and speed humps are also features of CRIP.
Minister Ali said the goal of the CRIP programme is to improve livelihoods of persons living in 12 NDCs in Regions Three, Four, Five and Six by improving access to housing, education, health, and other social amenities.
The NDCs that benefited under this phase of the CRIP programme are Bath/Woodley Park, Tuschen/Uitvlugt, Rosignol/Zeelust, Unity/Vereeningen, Port Mourant/Johns, Mon Repos/La Reconnaisance, Stewartville/Cornelia Ida, Enmore/Hope, Haslington/Grove, Best/Klien Pouderoyen, Industry/Plaisance, and Golden Grove/Diamond.
The overall road works for these contracts are approximately 35% completed, and it is projected that full completion will be achieved before the end of the first half of 2012.
These contracts total more than Gy$2.4 billion. To date, Gy$323.3 million has been expended, and a further Gy$476.7 million is presently with the CDB, awaiting disbursement.

2012 expectations, challenges
Minister Ali assured that, beginning in 2012, the Ministry will work aggressively to end squatting within three years. As part of this plan, the Ministry will seek to have sunset legislation passed in Parliament to end squatting.
A final list of all areas that can be regularized will be compiled before work in this respect commences. 
An aggressive relocation programme will be developed to address all those areas that cannot be regularized, including East Ruimveldt, West Ruimveldt Front Road, Container City, and the area around the Cheddi Jagan International Airport (CJIA).
Minister Ali pointed out that the housing target for 2012 has not been finalised, but it will not be less than what obtained for 2011.
There will, nevertheless, be continued development on the East Bank and East Coast Demerara, and continued expansion in Region Three.
The Housing and Water Ministry is also looking to complete the Amelia’s Ward Phase Three, and to make another 500 new lots available in Bartica, in Region Eight; and will be finalising infrastructure in Region One.
In Region Nine, there are the Tabatinga and Culvert City schemes to be completed in 2012.
The new political framework in which government will now operate, Minister Ali noted, will call for a higher level of maturity and nationalistic thinking.
“Once we are mature in our thinking; once we think in a nationalistic, patriotic manner; the benefit and livelihood of our people and improvement of their lives will be paramount. And once that is paramount, I think that the resounding benefit will come back to the people,” he said.
He does not see the foregoing as a challenge, but acknowledged that 2012 is going to be challenging in the context of rising prices of materials on the international market, and this will require the formation of strategic plans to mitigate the impacts.
He also said that home ownership will be accelerated, and work will be done on improving and expanding partnerships with the financial sector.
Additionally, greater focus will be placed on revising existing building codes, and the Ministry will work alongside the National Bureau of Standards to draft building codes, Minister Ali disclosed.

SHARE THIS ARTICLE :
Facebook
Twitter
WhatsApp

Leave a Comment

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

All our printed editions are available online
emblem3
Subscribe to the Guyana Chronicle.
Sign up to receive news and updates.
We respect your privacy.