A NEW community at 4-Miles, Bartica in Region 7 (Cuyuni-Mazaruni) will be established to satisfy the growing demand for housing, Minister Keith Scott said during his recent visit to the area.Minister within the Ministry of Communities with responsibility for the Department of Housing, Keith Scott, recently visited Bartica to inspect ongoing projects and discuss the creation of the new

community. The Minister interacted with residents and regional officials, including Regional Chairman, Gordon Bradford.
The Central Housing and Planning Authority (CH&PA) will be pursuing arrangements for the transfer of the 100 acres of land needed for development of the area. The community will be designed to accommodate approximately 400 house lots.
During this visit, Minister Scott noted that some of the activities that will commence following the legal process are the execution of block surveys, preparation of design layouts, and design of infrastructure such as roads, drains, structures, water and electrical distribution networks.
The Ministry is also planning to commence infrastructural development in January 2016 with the works to be advertised through national competitive bidding, in December this year.
The establishment of this community, Minister Scott explained, comes at a time when Bartica is positioning to become a town by April 23, 2016, in keeping with the announcement made by President David Granger. He also stated that the Ministry of Communities is committed to cooperating with the Regional Authorities for Bartica to achieve township status.
POTABLE WATER
One area of concern that the Ministry is working assiduously to remedy is access to potable water. “Currently, the Guyana Water Incorporated (GWI) is improving its infrastructure to expand its delivery of water in the region,” he stated. The utility company would have to further expand its infrastructure to accommodate the new housing development. The aim is to provide residents with a 24-hour water supply.
Minister Scott noted that Bartica is a beautiful area with amazing topography. As such, developments should be done with minimal destruction of the natural beauty of the area so as to promote tourism and other sustainable economic activities.

By Rebecca Ganesh