“We want everyone to live a better life” – Croal tells Riverview residents

…as 81 households targeted for relocation

The Housing Ministry has initiated works on a relocation programme for residents occupying an informal settlement along the riverbank at Riverview, Ruimveldt, Georgetown.
Housing Minister, Collin Croal, on Tuesday, visited the area to engage with residents on the relocation exercise, in keeping with a commitment made by President Dr Irfaan Ali last month.
“The President indicated to those who are here that this is not a comfortable environment that he wants to see our people living in. It’s not healthy…it’s not good for sanitation. And so, there are a lot of challenges. So, he committed that we’ll have a team coming back to work with them as part of a relocation programme that will see them being removed from within this squatting area. So, this is my first engagement as a follow-up,” Croal explained.
“We have started the logging of the persons who are here. In fact, we have numbered 81 structures or 81 buildings where persons have put up small shacks. And so, we will engage those persons. We have started to, one-on-one, to engage each one of the families because as we gather the information, and then the next phase we’ll see, once everyone has put their house in order, the next phase we’ll see us working with the families as part of the relocation,” he further outlined.
The initiative forms part of the government’s wider effort to address squatting and unregulated settlements through solutions such as relocation or regularisation, depending on the circumstances of each community.
Croal emphasised the government’s commitment is ensuring that every citizen has access to a safe, clean and healthy living environment. “We want everyone to live a better life. We want people to be in a space that they can call their home, and this is what we’re working towards,” he expressed.
In fact, in addition to relocation, the housing minister highlighted that other interventions will be made with the goal of improving the lives of the residents.
He said Home Affairs Minister, Oneidge Walrond, who has political responsibility for the area, as well as Human Services and Social Security Minister, Dr Vindhya Persaud, will be working with residents to address social issues affecting them.
Additionally, he reminded that Agriculture Minister, Zulfikar Mustapha, already started engagements with some residents, particularly those with interests in the fishing sector. Following that visit last month, Minister Mustapha had related that efforts will be made to establish a wharf in the area to support fishing activities.
“I spoke with the fisherfolk here, and they raised some concerns. They said they wanted a wharf, so I visited the area they have there. Currently, they have small individual landing sites.

I’ve asked the management of the NDIA [National Drainage and Irrigation Authority] to assess the space and develop an appropriate design so that a proper wharf can be constructed,” Mustapha indicated.
According to the minister, the proposed wharf will provide a more organised space for fisherfolk to operate, including safe storage of seines, nets, boats and other fishing equipment, while also providing an appropriate facility for mooring boats and offloading catches. Once the design is completed, the project will be tendered for construction.
Mustapha had also engaged residents on other opportunities in the agriculture sector, especially for youths. He said his ministry will work with young residents, particularly those completing school and attending tertiary institutions, to identify a suitable area where a shade house can be established for the cultivation of high-value crops.
President Ali visited the community on August 12, where he made the commitments regarding their relocation to safer and more suitable housing areas as well as livelihood improvements. The Head of State was, at the time, conducting a community outreach drive under the Community Ride Initiative, which involved him cycling through Alexander Village, Riverview, and Yarrow Dam.
It was reported following the President’s visit that many of those residents expressed their agreement with the plans outlined by the Guyanese leader for their relocation.
“Our priority is to ensure that every family, especially our children, can live in a safe, secure, and healthy environment with the dignity, stability, and opportunities they deserve,” President Ali had expressed.