Investments in Charity Housing Scheme translating to individual growth of residents – Rodrigues

Persons residing in the New Charity Housing Scheme, Region Two (Pomeroon-Supenaam) have been able to improve their lives, through an increase in their finances.
This is according to Minister within the Housing and Water Ministry, Susan Rodrigues, who visited the community earlier in the week and interacted with residents.
Previously, the Housing Scheme was a squatting area, however, upon assuming office in August 2020, President Dr Irfaan Ali committed to regularising the area.
As a result, more than 120 families were provided with the Certificate of Title for their homes in 2022, and in 2023, $200 million worth of contracts were awarded through the Housing and Water Ministry for the construction of roads, walkways, and bridges in the community.

According to the Minister, today, the housing scheme is flooded with small businesses and entrepreneurs who have capitalised on the substantial improvements spearheaded by Government and executed by the Housing Ministry and agencies under its leadership.
During an interview with the Department of Public Information (DPI), Rodrigues disclosed that during her engagements with residents, one individual reported that she was able to secure a loan to renovate her property, and construct a small grocery shop on her land.
She said that Government was pleased with this report, given that all its investments are geared towards improving families and their livelihoods.
“We want the infrastructure spending to translate into personal development and I believe that what I have seen here today is really an expression of that. Just by doing some roads in this area, upgrading the infrastructure ,we were able to transform individual lives …That is the type of progress and transformation that’s for every single Guyanese and that is the type of progress that is taking place across all of the communities,” Minister Rodrigues stated.

Onderneeming water treatment plant

Meanwhile, the water treatment plant being constructed at Onderneeming, Region Two is on track for completion in August.
This was disclosed by Rodrigues during a site visit to the facility while in the region. She was accompanied by Guyana Water Inc (GWI) Hinterland Services Director Ramchand Jailal and Consultant Richard Persaud.
The $1.1 billion plant will provide treated water to residents from Supenaam to Taymouth Manor. Another plant is also expected to be developed at Maria’s Delight to serve residents from Charity to Queenstown to help push treated water coverage.

The Onderneeming plant is one of seven for which contracts totalling $8.5 billion were signed in 2022. The contracts were signed under GWI’s Coastal Water Treatment Infrastructure Programme to provide 90 per cent treated water access to the coast by 2025.
Rodrigues said the plants would play a pivotal role in the removal of iron from water being provided to hundreds of residents in the region.
“With the construction of those additional two treatment plants along with the one we already have at Lima, the entire Essequibo Coast, everybody who lives along the Coast will receive access to treated water by the end of 2025. That is a commitment that we made,” the Minister said.