– $3.2B to be expended in 2022

Residents in Region Two (Pomeroon-Supenaam) have been brought up to speed on several developments in the housing and water sector, as His Excellency Dr. Mohamed Irfaan Ali and members of the Cabinet are leading a two-day outreach in the region.

Minister of Housing and Water, Hon. Collin Croal, as part of the outreach engaged with residents at Charity Housing Scheme, Amazon and Sommerset on day one.

The Minister announced that some $40 million will be expended to commence infrastructure works at Buxton and St. Joseph, Charity. In June of this year, some 350 house lots were allocated in the Charity area, adding to another 350 distributed in April. Minister Croal said that through the Central Housing and Planning Authority (CH&PA) works will commence on access bridges and roads to the new housing developments.

Moreover, other infrastructure works in the new and existing housing areas will be catered for under the agency’s 2022 work program. Another $872 million will be expended in Buxton and St. Joseph, $628 million in the Old and New Charity Housing Scheme, and $1.7 billion in Onderneeming Phase Four, for the upgrading of several roads, pipe networks and the construction of drains and culverts.

In water sector, residents can expect increased access to potable water through the drilling of five wells by the Guyana Water Incorporated (GWI) in Pomeroon.

“We are aware of the issues with high iron content in your water and our plan is to improve the coverage of treated water on the Essequibo Coast,” the Minister said.

The engagements were also used as a platform for residents to raise issues in various sectors affecting them in the region. Several complaints were raised including poor drainage systems, deplorable roads, boundary disputes, service levels received from GWI and the need for street lights. Farmers in Somerset also sought the Minister’s intervention for a farm to market road in the area.

In this regard, a number of residents left the meetings satisfied, as the Minister was able to underline a number of government’s development plans for the region such as the road upgrades, the installation of street lights by the Ministry of Local Government and Regional Development and plans for a Specialty Hospital. Several age-old housing matters were also raised and speedy resolutions were met. Residents were also given assurance that other registered issues will be resolved in a timely manner.

The Cabinet outreach, which concludes on Saturday, ties in with the Government’s policy of engaging citizens directly, as they seek to craft measures that will have a direct impact on the lives of citizens.

Photos: Department of Public Information