Building on the already successful housing and construction boom, the 2012 National Budget has allocated Gy$ 3.6 billion 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 Gy$192.8 billion estimates, stated that this move by government is to ensure that Guyanese have access to adequate and affordable housing within suitable and economically viable communities.
Housing and Water Minister, Irfaan Ali
To ensure that this vision is achieved, the administration is working to have a further 30,000 new house lots distributed by 2015; increase access to low cost financing for home construction, and examine additional ways for improving occupancy in new housing areas.
“We will also be developing resettlement plans, regularising squatting areas and facilitating easier access to house lots and home financing,” Minister Singh said.
Of the Gy$ 3.3 billion expended in 2011, Gy$ 700 million was spent on improving road network and water distribution systems in Zeelugt, Leonora, Mahdia and Culvert City. This has seen over 1500 households directly benefiting. While, families were afforded a once in a life time opportunity of owning a new home with the allocation of 8981 house lots, 7325 land titles were distributed, the minister said.
“There were also 25 core houses completed and another 59 commenced… in excess of 1000 persons also accessed low interest financing valued at over Gy$ 5.6 billion…, the One Stop Shop outreaches conducted in Regions Two, Three, Four, Five, Six and 10 benefited over 36,000 persons,” Dr Singh highlighted.
This year, the Housing and Water Ministry is working to have a further 6500 house lots and 4000 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, which 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 Gy$192.8 billion budget will pave the way for home improvement subsidies to vulnerable groups benefiting 190 coastland and 100 Amerindian families.
Improved roads, drains and structures in existing schemes such as Kokerite Hill, Uitvlugt, Herstelling, Bartica and Wisroc will also be undertaken under the infrastructure development programme.
Housing and Water Minister, Irfaan Ali in an invited comment after the budget presentation, noted that “it is indeed a Guyanese budget”. “This shows commitment by government to ensure that not only we have the 100 per cent access to housing and water, but also it will allow us to move towards pressure flow and improved quality,” Minister Ali said.
He said that 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, Gy$1.8 billion was spent in the water sector facilitating the construction and upgrading of distribution and transmission mains in Regions Two, Three, Four, Five and Six benefiting in excess of 90,000 people.
Ten kilometres of transmission mains were rehabilitated in Amelia’s Ward, Richmond Hill, and Wisroc, benefiting over 7000 residents. Also 3000 service connections were installed, six new boreholes completed, 17 new photovoltaic systems installed, 14 elevated storage units were constructed and four distribution systems installed in Four Miles, Falls Top, Micobie, Kariako, and Kwebanna, Dr Singh said.
A sum of Gy$2 billion has been allocated to improve the quality of water supply of which Gy$ 900 million is budgeted for the installation of approximately 20 kilometres of transmission and distribution mains, the upgrading of water treatment plant systems, and the completion of four boreholes benefiting approximately 233,900 residents.
Water supply systems will also be upgraded as Gy$ 100 million is budgeted for works to be done at West Watooka, Wisroc, Christianburg, Richmond Hill and Canvas City. Additionally, Gy$ 400 million will go towards the construction of 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 efficiency 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 a quality way of life, over Gy$150 million was budgeted for the installation of 10 photovoltaic systems, the upgrade of five existing water supply systems and the construction of medium depth boreholes that will benefit over 11,000 people,” the minister said.
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