All unoccupied and newly erected structures on the Government reserves in Sophia, Greater Georgetown, is scheduled for demolition as soon as today or possibly within the next two weeks according to Lelon Saul, Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the Central Housing and Planning Authority (CH&PA).
CEO Lelon Saul addressing the media
“Those structures like that (unoccupied and newly erected) would be taken down, all structures under construction would be taken down, maybe in the next two weeks or maybe tomorrow. We have all systems in place to deal with anyone who tries to cause harm (to the demolition officers),” Saul told media operatives while on a sensitisation campaign in the community on Tuesday.
He said that they would continue working with the residents to find viable alternatives since they have until January 31, 2018 to remove or be forcefully removed. He added that if that date comes and there are residents still living there without any viable option to relocate, then the CH&PA would continue working with them until a way forward is determined.
Saul said the purpose of the visit is to show the wider public a first-hand look at the impact of informal settlements, particularly in the Sophia-Cummings Lodge areas.
“People are squatting in close proximity to the Lamaha Conservancy. We get our drinking water from this conservancy and I just want you to look at it and you will recognise that there are persons squatting on the dam and there are pit latrines also in that close vicinity. There are buildings in the buffer zones and no one should be living there. In addition to that, people swim in the conservancy, they dump trash in the conservancy and those are the things we try to combat to ensure the safety of citizens is maintained,” he said.
A concrete structure now being constructed scheduled for demolition
“People are squatting on the reserves and it is a serious issue for us and we want to work with them to have them removed. The issue of squatting in this area is a long one. The persons on the reserves cannot be regularised and CH&PA have been engaging these people for a long time and they are aware that squatting is illegal,” Saul added.
The situation
During the visit to the community, it was observed that a number of shacks were on the dam of the Lamaha Conservancy and many with pit latrines or “flying toilets.” The term “flying toilets” refers to the act of duping fecal matter into the conservancy, and in addition to the pit latrines, serve to contaminate the water. The Guyana Water Inc uses water from that conservancy for drinking and other purposes.
In addition to contaminating the water, the residents are aiding in eroding the dam that protects the legitimate residents from water in the conservancy. On the visit, it was also observed that almost all of the squatters have illegally connected wires to the GPL poles and those wires are connected in bits and pieces, either buried in the ground or overhead. The possibility of electrocution is very high in the area and children are constantly traversing the section.
However, as residents overheard CEO Saul speaking about demolition, they began threatening to have a standoff with the officers when the time comes.
