On the occasion of World Habitat Day today, Minister in the Ministry of Communities Annette Ferguson has lauded a scheme in Linden which transforms bauxite overburden into blocks.
In a statement yesterday, Ferguson noted that a key element of this year’s theme is “to transform waste to wealth”.
“And I am truly delighted to note that here in Guyana, and more particularly, the housing sector, those efforts are well underway.
“In 2018, the Linden Enterprise Network (LEN), Upper Demerara-Berbice, unveiled a housing initiative that transforms bauxite overburden, which is normally considered a waste product, into valuable blocks for the construction of houses for low-income families within the community.
“The blocks to be used in the construction of these homes are made by Linden Bricks, a company in Amelia’s Ward, and utilises laterite as its base material. This laterite is the top of the earth’s surface that was stripped away during the mining phase, but is of no value to the actual bauxite production process”, she stated.
Similar sentiments were repeated by the Chairman of LEN, who also highlighted the project’s ingenuity, and noted that “what is considered waste product is now being used to construct homes.”
The first model home was erected at Amelia’s Ward, Linden, at a cost of approximately $3.5 million, the statement said.
Ferguson said that she and the staff of the Department of Housing, joined with concerned citizens – here and abroad – to raise awareness, to educate, and call for the mobilising of individuals and communities to take action on the present housing crisis. “As the President has said, “Squatters who reside on reserves need to be relocated and resettled and affected persons must be provided with the option of acquiring Government housing. Our children must grow up in communities. Every child, every family should have a roof over his head”, she said.
