Widespread housing programme continues
Guyana Chronicle
January 3, 2005
THE Ministry of Housing and Water has continued to place affordable housing at the top of Guyana’s agenda for national development.
Guyanese can now have their own homes as the government continues to assist in making it easier to access this essential social service.
During last year, several major projects have been implemented to provide Guyanese with their own homes.
Minister of Housing and Water Shaik Baksh said the government is working to ensure that people receive titles to the land they occupy, and these can be used to access funding from financial institutions to upgrade their standard of living.
The government, in a move to ensure that Guyanese receive necessary support in the housing sector, recently created incentives to encourage mortgage lending to low-income families.
Under this programme, if people access loans, they would not be required to pay corporate taxes on income earned from these mortgages and the reserve requirements on these loans would be waived.
The current mortgage rate from local institutions for families participating in the government programme is seven per cent and the current amortization is 15 years, although this could be extended. Down payment requirements vary from 10 per cent to 30 per cent.
The government, through the Ministry of Housing and Water’s Central Housing and Planning Authority (CH&PA), provides subsidies to persons who fall within the low income bracket through the sale of plots of land.
Through government funding, the CH&PA has been developing new housing schemes countrywide, with proper infrastructure, including roads, potable water, and drainage structures.
Once a family is allocated a lot, it has three months to put down one third of the price. It is then given an additional nine months to complete payment. If an allottee fails to make the final payment, the lot reverts to the government.
Persons whose lots have been taken back will then be placed on a register for a later allocation when they are ready to commence building their houses.
The important driving force in the housing programme is the partnership between the public and private sectors in mortgage financing. There are 12 private developers now working to provide low income houses at affordable prices, and many others have expressed their interest.
It is expected that during this year, the basic infrastructure would be completed in all housing areas, including paved roads and adequate potable water supplies.
The government last year announced a $1.5 bln infrastructural development programme for the Sophia housing area, Greater Georgetown.
The government has been actively promoting housing development throughout Guyana and the Ministry of Housing and Water has designed a programme for Region 10 (Upper Demerara/Berbice) which includes the establishment of new housing schemes, squatter regularisation, providing security of tenure for the land, and building infrastructure, including roads, drains and water supply.
President Bharrat Jagdeo visited Linden in October and distributed land titles to residents of Wisroc Phase IB and the Block 22 Wismar Housing Schemes. More than 1,000 titles and 724 letters of allocation were distributed in the two schemes and the areas will also benefit from the infrastructural development programme.
Work at Amelia’s Ward has already begun and will be completed this year.
The government is continuing its widespread housing programme which will allow all Guyanese to have a home of their own.
In the water sector, despite some problems, efforts have been made to provide potable water for every Guyanese.
The government has placed the provision of potable water to the population at the top of the social sector agenda, along with housing, health and education.
The vision is to provide universal access to safe and affordable water. It sees a strong link between the provision of water services and health and sanitation, and efforts at alleviating poverty in the country.
After many years, residents of many hinterland communities are able to access potable water for their families through windmill systems and hand-dug wells. Communities on the coastland now have access to a better water supply, since many new projects were effected.
Mr. Baksh said the water sector has progressed in spite of problems.
Major schemes were completed providing water treatment plants, ground and high level storage, transmission and distribution networks at New Amsterdam and Rose Hall in Berbice, serving a population of 60,000, and Pouderoyen on the West Bank Demerara, serving 40,000 people.
Another major scheme completed is the Eccles Water Distribution network, on the East Bank Demerara, serving 40,000 people.
At Bartica, Region Seven (Cuyuni/Mazaruni) residents are receiving an improved supply of water with the construction of another distribution network.
A major achievement in the water sector is the installation of water distribution systems with house connections in squatter settlements.
More than 80 per cent of these areas have water supplies and within two years, all areas will be covered.
Pipelines have been installed in 90 per cent of the housing schemes and projects are being implemented to ensure that water is transmitted from the sources of supply to some of these areas.
Baksh noted that the Guyana Water Incorporated (GWI) will have to improve its services in a few areas.
More than 150 wells were drilled and hand-dug wells were constructed to provide water to residents in hinterland areas in Regions One (Barima/Waini), Two (Pomeroon/Supenaam), Seven, Eight (Potaro/Siparuni) and Nine (Upper Takutu/Upper Essequibo).
Windmill and solar systems were installed in the large communities to distribute water through pipelines to residents. A major objective of the Hinterland Water Strategy is to provide water security to the population and empower communities to manage the water systems.
The government is committed to providing the necessary funds to continue the modernisation programme and to realise the vision of universal access to safe and affordable water for all Guyanese.
(GOVERNMENT INFORMATION AGENCY)