BUILDING on the already successful housing and construction boom, the 2012 National Budget has allocated $3.6B to further increase access to affordable housing, improve the quality of infrastructure of housing schemes, and regularise squatter settlements. Finance Minister Dr. Ashni Singh, in presenting the $192.8B estimates stated that this move by Government was to ensure that Guyanese have access to adequate and affordable housing within suitable and economically viable communities.
To ensure that this vision is achieved, government is working to have a further 30,000 new house lots distributed by 2015; increase access to low cost financing for home construction, and examine additional ways for improving occupancy in new housing areas.
“We will also be developing resettlement plans, regularising squatting areas, and facilitating easier access to house lots and home financing,” Minister Singh said.
Of the $3.3B expended in 2011, $700M was spent on improving road network and water distribution systems in Zeelugt, Leonora, Mahdia and Culvert City, directly benefiting over 1,500 households.
While, families were afforded a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity of owning a new home with the allocation of 8,981 house lots, 7,325 land titles were distributed.
“There were also 25 core houses completed, and another 59 commenced… In excess of 1,000 persons also accessed low interest financing, valued at over $5.6B… The One-Stop-Shop outreaches conducted in Regions 2, 3, 4, 5, 6 and 10 benefited over 36,000 persons,” Dr. Singh highlighted.
This year, the Housing and Water Ministry is working to have a further 6,500 house lots and 4,000 land titles distributed.
Additionally, 200 core houses will be made available to underprivileged families, while the programme for professional groups will provide 200 teachers, nurses and policemen with fast-track access to loans for home construction.
Another public-private initiative to ensure greater access to affordable housing has been the recent establishment of a turnkey housing initiative, Dr Singh said. It seeks to minimise the time taken between allocation, loan application and construction by immediately providing two-bedroom houses to an additional 80 families by the end of the year.
This year, the $192.8B budget will pave the way for home improvement subsidies to vulnerable groups, benefiting 190 coastal and 100 Amerindian families.
Roads, drains and structures in existing schemes such as Kokerite Hill, Uitvlugt, Herstelling, Bartica and Wisroc will also be improved under the infrastructure development programme.
Housing and Water Minister Irfaan Ali, in an invited comment after the budget presentation, noted that it was indeed a Guyanese budget.
“This shows commitment by government to ensure that not only we have the 100 percent access to housing and water, but also it will allow us to move towards pressure flow and improved quality,” Minister Ali said.
Over the medium term, government will continue to invest in the water sector, consolidating the gains made over the previous term, especially in ensuring that all Guyanese have access to adequate supplies of safe potable water.
In 2011, $1.8B was spent in the water sector, facilitating construction and upgrade of distribution and transmission mains in Regions 2, 3, 4, 5 and 6, benefiting in excess of 90,000 people.
Ten kilometres of transmission mains were rehabilitated in Amelia’s Ward, Richmond Hill, and Wisroc, benefiting over 7,000 residents. Also 3,000 service connections were installed, 6 new boreholes completed, 17 new photovoltaic systems installed, 14 elevated storages units constructed, and 4 distribution systems installed in 4 Miles, Falls Top, Micobie, Kariako, and Kwebanna, Dr. Singh said.
The sum of $2B has been allocated to improve the quality of water supply, of which $900M is budgeted for the installation of approximately 20 kilometres of transmission and distribution mains, upgrading the water treatment plant systems, and completing 4 boreholes, benefiting approximately 233,900 residents.
Water supply systems will also be upgraded in Region Ten, as $100M is budgeted for works to be done at West Watooka, Wisroc, Christianburg, Richmond Hill and Canvas City. Additionally, $400M will go towards constructing two new water treatment plants at Wisroc and Amelia’s Ward, to benefit 30,000 residents.
“Complementing these efforts, the Energy Efficiency Pilot Project will address the need to improve energy use within GWI facilities through the installation of 12 energy efficient devices at selected locations on the East Bank and West Demerara to reduce high start-up energy consumption in the water supply system,” he said.
Government has always had the interest of Amerindians at heart, and to continue on the path of providing them a quality way of life, over $150M was budgeted for the installation of 10 photo voltaic systems, upgrading five existing water supply systems, and constructing medium-depth boreholes that will benefit over 11,000 people.