90 house lots to be developed in Mabaruma within 6 months

Some 85-90 house lots will become available within six months for residents in the township of Mabaruma, Region One (Barima-Waini).
This announcement was made by President Dr Irfaan Ali on Monday during a visit to the area.
This initiative came on the heels of an in-depth analysis conducted by the Government in Mabaruma, where it was identified that the community had a lack of house lots.
According to the Head of State, work is expected to commence soon.
“One of the needs that we identified in Mabaruma is the need for housing lots so Minister Collin Croal was tasked with finding lands. In Mabaruma, we have very limited lands in the system but we have found this area, and within six months, we will revisit the site to show you what we have done,” Ali said.
Currently, there are some 154 house lots in the system. He also said that another plan of the Ministry is to explore with the community allottees whether they want to come into the building system or solely receive house lots.
“Part of what the Ministry will be doing is exploring with the community whether they want to come into the building system or just receive house lots. The building system, through the economy of scales, allows us to reduce the cost of construction.”
On this note, he stated that the design layout is already completed.
“So we have the preliminary block land, and from the preliminary block lands, the Ministry of Housing would have already completed the design layout. We are hoping to get as many as 90 house lots from this development. This is a great example to show you how we’ve started this; this is how development takes place.”
He noted that throughout this development, there will be a focused effort to protect the ecosystem by preserving the large trees in the area.
“One of the things that we are going to do in this development is try to keep all the big trees. We have big mango trees, fruit trees, and other large trees. It is a designed layout, so when they come to clear the area, there will be a special effort to keep all the big trees because there is special emphasis on the ecosystem.”
Meanwhile, Housing and Water Minister, Collin Croal reiterated that work on the new housing development will commence this year and within other neighboring lands the similar pursuits will be.
He also highlighted that for Government facilities the Government has to constantly rely on gaining items from private persons.
“Land is very much scarce in Mabaruma sub-region, and even for Government facilities, sometimes we have to acquire from private persons. So this land here, we have already done the designs. Immediately, we will start engaging. Additionally, we want to start the work this year. We have already invested a lot, and including similarly in Region One. We will also be moving into the Orinoco for further development. This is a prime location and this is the centre of Mabaruma,” he said. (G2)