FLOODING IS A RESULT OF POOR HOUSING DESIGNS

Jan 08, 2017 Letters

Dear Editor,
Poorly constructed turnkey homes coupled with lopsided infrastructure seems to be the order of the day in Guyana’s endeavour to find housing for its people. Alongside this phenomenon is the urge for house lot owners to embark on building their own homes primarily to save some costs but also from the pressure to erect something before the lot is repossessed. This is a recipe for catastrophe. With the Hon. Minister, Valerie Patterson, quoting figures pertaining to revenue, expenditure, decline in constructed units, low occupancy etc., one is left to wonder if she thinks the Titanic could have stayed afloat with an extra coat of paint. The crux of the matter is plain and simple: Guyana is poorly equipped with urban planners, infrastructure designers and archaic building codes. And no one has found a solution for heavy rainfall.
Here are a few suggestions that the housing authorities need to consider:
1. Open green space: In housing construction, a significant percentage of the lot, say 30%, must be left open (the so-called green rule) and not concreted. This will allow rainwater to be absorbed rather than drained off into overburdened drains especially in regions like Georgetown.
2. Retention ponds: In designing communities, say like 100 homes, retention ponds are a dire necessity with its two-fold purpose: it will collect drain-offs to alleviate flooding, in addition to being a source of water in dry weather .
3. Regular garbage collection: Compactor trucks for garbage collection would see significant removal of waste that blocks main drainage channels.
4. Household wells: In the further retention of rain water small wells need to be instituted in building codes (the dry well concept). These wells of say 64 cubic feet (4x4x4) will also prevent unwanted runoff into the poorly maintained drainage system.
5. Recycling: The collection of plastic, cardboard and glass containers must now be of high priority as it not only provide an ‘income’ but it is a great deterrent for blockages.
6. Illegal dumping: Regulations in regards to dumping should be enforced with preventative fines.
A cursory look at the dilemma facing the housing authority reveals that the entity is overwhelmed with indecision, lack of planning and initiative. Then there is litany woes such as poor materials, workmanship, lack of building inspectors and virtually non-existent construction codes. The end result is often the dreaded 4 S’s – slipping, shifting, sinking and sliding houses.
In Guyana construction ought to be relatively straightforward as builders do not have to contend with the vicissitudes of temperature changes like North America that sees a range in one year from near zero to over 100 degrees on the Fahrenheit scale. Obviously the burden of having a wide range of materials is eliminated, along with furnaces for winter heating and insulation materials like Styrofoam and fiberglass.
Regularization of squatting areas are a definite NO. These areas are poorly designed and rife with infrastructure deficiencies. Offering superficial solutions to serious problems will not work. If this is done, then problems will persist and Guyana will perpetually remain the Land of Many Waters & ….. Many Disasters
Leyland Chitlall Roopnaraine
Real Estate Builder
New York

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