Cramped in rickety wooden homes with no water, electricity or drainage, residents describe life in Plastic City, a depressed section of Vreed-en-Hoop, West Coast Demerara, as a real struggle.
Although they are thankful to have a roof over their heads, they are eagerly awaiting the day when they would be relocated to a more comfortable environment.
They suffer constant flooding during the high tide and rainy weather and are often at risk of contracting sicknesses such as waterborne diseases or colds.
Whenever the area is flooded it is almost impossible for them to leave their homes. They also said a section of the seawall is eroding and that a dam needs to be built urgently to alleviate the situation.
People started squatting in the mangrove swamp over 25 years ago because they had nowhere else to go and also because it was cheaper to live there. Now there are over 20 houses hidden amid the thick mangroves.
Stabroek News learnt that the area was known as ‘Railway Road’ but the name had changed because the original dwellings were made out of plastic.
There are also reports that the area was surveyed and the houses close to the shore were to be removed to make way for the building of a “wall” to prevent flooding.
Residents have to fill water from about 200 rods away for drinking, washing and other household chores.
The “water line” was passed underground through the area and ran to the Guyana Water Inc’s substation. Residents are not allowed to “bore the line” to get water and were told that if they were caught doing so they would be jailed.
Residents from one section had obtained house lots in 2013 and moved out of the area. Some of the other residents were given the option of purchasing lots as well but could not afford the cost.
Hilda Stephen was one of those persons. She was granted a house lot at Parfait Harmonie but at the time she did not have the $29,000 required and ended up losing the opportunity.
She had moved to Plastic City 20 years ago after purchasing the house from a friend. Now she is so desperate to move that she has started to “save the money piece by piece. I really glad if I can get a cheap lot to buy.”
She recalled that during the elections campaign, the APNU had visited the area and promised them a better life.
“Now they are in power, I hope they can keep their promise and provide us with house lots to move us out of here. The situation is not nice and we cannot continue living here forever.”
At the time of our visit, Hilda was doing laundry next to her stairs. She stores water in tanks, which she pays the youths to fill.
Even though heavy rain means her yard gets flooded and messy, like other residents she depends on the rain for water.
After speaking to us, Hilda grabbed two buckets and walked down the mud pathway that is lined with planks, to fill them. Pieces of boards also lined the entrances of residents’ homes as well as being placed in their yards.
Hilda’s house is the first of about five others in the yard. Some children were playing in the yard behind her house even though it was not completely dry and a pool of water was just nearby.
Alfred Williams who lives obliquely opposite moved to the area six years ago after purchasing his home from someone who had been living there for 25 years.
He feels that government should regularize the area so residents can benefit from basic amenities.
A resident had planned to help ease the flooding situation by bringing an excavator to dig a drain. Families would have had to come together and contribute $12,000 each but no one was willing to pay.
Williams said the conditions are not nice but at least he is better off than the residents living closer to the sea.
A few houses away, his daughter Bonita Williams was not so lucky. With her house close to the sea she cannot avoid the floods.
The water takes a long time to recede, forcing her and her two young children to stay indoors during that time. She is pregnant with a third child.
Quite surprisingly, with all of the bushes around, Bonita said there are hardly any mosquitoes. She also loves the area because “we get plenty breeze here.”
What’s certain though, is that Bonita does not want to remain living in the area forever as she dreams of better conditions for her children. She does not want them “to grow up in this situation.”
Sitting on a wooden plank on the pathway, Shawn Williams, a carpenter was glad for the area to be highlighted.
His young daughter and his friend, Junior Murray, who is also a carpenter, were with him. They did not have many problems living in Plastic City.
“The only bad thing is that we have to fetch water and we don’t have light. But we expect better things from the government so we can live comfortable.”
The men would like “the government to develop the area. We want a change in the place. But if that can’t happen it would be better if they move us out from here. We want land!”
