Charity Squatting Area

Jul 17, 2022 News

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…a growing unregularised community

By Romario Blair

Kaieteur News – Although home to more than 300 families, the Charity Squatting area on the Essequibo Coast can easily go unnoticed to those unfamiliar with this section of the country. This is especially since it has gone without much needed attention for far too long, a state of affairs that worries its residents.

Whenever being discussed, the first things discussed by those familiar with the state of the Charity Squatting area, is the fact that it is frequently flooded and its lack of development. In spite of its more than three decades of existence, the area is yet to be regularised and the residents, as expected, are not happy about this.

The community is located just off the regularised Charity Scheme on the Essequibo Coast. To date, it has no access to potable water, electricity or any roads for that matter.

Yet, the Charity Squatting area has over the years seen a growing number of households in its confines. From the outside, the community does not look like much but when you follow the narrow, muddy trails, you would discover that even in desperate living conditions, there are some willing to call this place home.

I recently visited the area in an effort to get a first-hand glimpse of the living conditions residents there are willing to endure. I learnt that for over 30 years, the community has been cut off developmentally from the rest of the coast.

No drainage

The community’s history can only be described as one that is watery, as it has been hit with one flood after another since its beginning. Residents, who spoke with this publication, related that unlike the regularised housing area, it takes very little rainfall for the squatting area to become inundated.

Mohanlall Lall, who has been living in the community for almost 29 years, said, “This area is flooded as soon as the rain fall ‘lil’ bit; not even half hour and the place flood because it got no proper drainage in de area. Is just a big trench at the outskirt but inside de community got no drain,” he shared.

The businessman, when asked to describe to what extent he is usually affected, went on to say, “…because de place generally low, every time rain fall it get more slushy, and it sink more because of de constant water on de land…most times de water come high it kill out de kitchen garden. I usually mind like 400 chickens, sometimes when de flood come I lose hundreds.”

He revealed that the swamp-like environ, when complemented by the uncontrolled vegetation, becomes a breeding spot for mosquitoes, which can easily become fertile grounds for any prevailing mosquito-borne infection.

No potable water 

Apart from being plagued with frequent and severe flooding, the residents have to deal with the challenge of no access to potable water, which they say is a constant struggle.  According to a 45-year-old female resident, who did not wish to share her name, she relies on several water tanks for water. When asked how she manages during the dry seasons, she said, “When is dry spell we go till down to the canal and bucket fetch water. Sure, is not easy but wah we gonna do, if we need it, we gotta find a way to fetch it.”

But having no access to potable water is not only an issue during the dry season as residents confirmed that it is still a struggle during the rainy seasons. According to Lall, for instance, since, “…people got no access to pipe water in hay, when is dry season is still a prablem. When the rain fall is another prablem because not everybody gat tanks. It really unhealthy because de same water dat in de yard people gotta bath with it sometimes. Den in hay people got outside toilet and when it rain and flood is de same water people does gat to bath with.”

Development needed

When asked why he moved to the area, Mohanlall said, “We had nowhere to go, dis was de only available place. It wasn’t comfortable, but we stay all de time thinking dat things gon get better. I raise three kids hay – two already marry and now I have grandchildren growing and nothing like ain’t changing. All de while we been providing everything fuh we self.”

He added, “We living 28 years hay. Lang ago we had to walk in de mud now de only upgrade we got, is boards across de mud.”

Another female resident said that it is quite difficult to get supplies in and out of the community, since there are no roads. The woman said that getting construction material into the area is a tedious task, as hired help has to move them from the road to the community.

School children also struggle to get to school, especially during the rainy season, it was revealed.

Since there is no Guyana Power and Light Inc. service offered to the area, residents are heavily dependent on generators for electricity. But according to Lall, with the rising price of fuel, “It expensive to work de generator in hay…I use to buy $25,000 gas every month to work generator from 6 in de afternoon to 10 in de night but right now we set up like solar just to work de freezer. At de same time we gat to watch fuh criminals because it gat a set ah lil school boys robbing; dem does break and enter people place. When things happen hay police don’t want come because de place always under water,” he related.

Over the years, residents said that there have been numerous discussions on regularising the area. However, it would appear that those discussions were merely ‘talk shops’ as nothing has been done to improve the state of area. Residents are however hopeful that critical infrastructures will be put in place in the near future so that they can finally have some much needed comfort in the area they call home.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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