–water services to be significantly expanded in next five years

THE Housing Ministry intends to engage the banking sector to introduce single-window processing to reduce permit processing time to under a month, while focusing on infrastructure and urgent reforms needed to accelerate the sector.
This is according to Minister of Housing and Water Collin Croal while speaking at the “Dream Realised Housing Drive 2020” at the Providence Stadium on Friday.
“If anything, COVID-19 has taught us that we must have a back-up plan for when things go wrong, or when it’s out of your control. The insurance companies present can help you with your back-up plan. Be sure to visit their booths and have a chat with them about your options; not just about house insurance, but about health and other solutions they may have,” Minister Croal noted.
He also advised the hundreds of persons in attendance to access the services offered by the Central Housing and Planning Authority (CH&PA) and the Guyana Water Incorporated (GWI).
“Be sure to leave your correct contact information. Too often we’ve found that information for applicants is incorrect or had changed, and this makes it difficult for the officers to make contact. Be sure, too, to ask every question you may have, so that you can leave here with a clear understanding of the process, so that you can plan properly,” Minister Croal said, adding: “We are working to improve all of the processes for the services offered by these two agencies, so that citizens do not become frustrated with the time taken to have access to potable water; for reconnections, meter installations, fault reporting or status updates.”
He also asked that applicants be patient as the ministry works on infrastructure for many areas.

ESSENTIAL COMPONENT
Given that the water sector is an essential component of homeownership and community development, Minister Croal said key focus will be placed on expanding water services throughout Guyana in the next five years, which will not only see an
increase in metering but also the expansion of treated water coverage throughout Guyana.
At the Providence Stadium, telephone, Internet and cable operators were all represented, and they have generously lowered the prices for their services and devices.
“Now more than ever, access to the Internet is critical to homes, especially for those families with children and adults who are in school or university. Cheaper Internet services are extremely important, and with the recent liberalisation of the telecommunication sector, already the cost for Internet has become more affordable. It is my hope that other operators will soon announce similar reductions,” Minister Croal said.
“I am overjoyed today that after just 75 days of the PPP/C returning to power, we are able to hand out over 350 certificates of titles and transports to citizens who have been waiting for many years to become home-owners,” he added.

He told the gathering that in its 2020 Manifesto, the PPP/C promised to create 10,000 house lots annually, and to invest in support infrastructure in existing and new housing schemes.

PROMISES FULFILLED
Government has already reduced the Value Added Tax (VAT) on building materials to facilitate affordable financing for homeownership, and to promote home ownership, particularly among youths and young professionals.
“We promised to ensure that water rates remain affordable; to reinstate water subsidies to pensioners; to expand treated water to more areas; to upgrade the distribution and transmission of water in urban, rural and hinterland areas; to reduce losses in the distribution system, and to create institutional mechanisms to rationalise the country’s water resources, through an Integrated Water Resources Management framework over the next five years,” Minister Croal said.
He explained that the housing challenge in Guyana is one of the most significant thrusts of the Government, and that every Guyanese’s dream of home-ownership will be realised.
Government, he said, will ensure that the house lots that are being allocated are serviceable, and that residents can occupy them, knowing that critical amenities like water, roads, and street lights are in place.

But to achieve this, Minister Croal said, will entail a gradual process, as the right things will be done in a responsible and sustainable way, as several reforms will be implemented.
Owning your own home, he said, is a personal achievement that everyone strives for, but is not always easily or readily done.
“The challenges are many: Access to easy finance; affordable building materials and insurance; reputable and honest contractors; and, most of all, the availability of land and the associated infrastructure. But your government is acutely aware of the needs of you the citizens, and my Ministry has spared no effort to fast-track the process to ensure that as many of you that qualify can be awarded your titles and transports in record time,” the Housing Minister said.

Emphasising that the Government has reversed many of the previous regime’s burdensome interventions in the sector, Minister Croal said chief among those poorly-thought-out policies was the imposition of VAT on building materials.

“We have raised the ceiling for Mortgage Interest Relief already, from $15M to $30M, and increased the limit for low-income loans. Let me say this raising the Mortgage Interest Relief threshold will result in at least 55 per cent of borrowers will be able to recover from $500,000 to $1M yearly, once they apply for the relief. That, my friends, is your Government in action,” Croal told the gathering.

At the venue were Banks, and Minister Croal said the title or transport received should allow a person to be able to access an affordable loan.
“Low-income housing loans, an initiative of the PPP/C, is offered by all of our local banks, including Scotiabank. I want to ask the banks especially that they be cognisant of the hardships that COVID-19 has brought on many citizens, and to be flexible with applicants when they approach your bank,” he added.
Also present at the event were the President, Dr. Irfaan Ali; Minister within the Ministry of Housing and Water, Susan Rodrigues; Permanent Secretary, Andre Ally; and the CEO of the CH&PA, Sherwyn Greaves.