Nestled within the mangroves on the coast of Vreed-en-Hoop, residents of the area infamously known as Plastic City, even after years of being promised a better life, still remain hopeful for same for themselves and their children.
Persons who reside in the area do not have access to potable water and electricity but still find ways to get their daily chores done. Residents walk all the way to the Vreed-en-Hoop Secondary School, where they are able to access water for cooking and drinking.
In Plastic City, small wooden homes line a jetty that leads straight out to the ocean. When Stabroek News visited the community on Tuesday, water remained settled on the land following Monday’s high tide.
Persons have been residing within the area for over 27 years but conditions have not gotten better from then to now; the lack of access to fresh water and the swampy conditions of the land mean the residents and their children face many health hazards.
“The place ain’t healthy because of the high tide keep coming up. When it coming up you can’t send the children them to school and these kind of things. When the water come up they get sick and all kind of things start happen,” said resident, Pinky Ganga.
Ganga said she has been living in Plastic City for about 23 years and would like to move from the area. “I been living here 23 years and just so it been from then on to now. Nobody can’t afford fuh move cause all body mostly in here is single parents and poor class of people. We could apply for land but who will help us pay for it? So if we get a land we’re willing to move we don’t have a problem with that,” she said.
Ganga stated that during the last election campaign, persons from the government and even the opposition had come into the area and promised to relocate the residents. “Long, since like 2014, they come at the back here and say they would give all of us land from at the back hay but nobody never fulfill the promise and nobody never come back and say anything to us,” she related.
“Is like people at the back here don’t count, cause they come and they make promises and promises and nobody don’t fulfil cause like nobody in this corner in particular don’t count. That’s all wah me could seh”, Ganga stated.
Another resident, who asked to not be named, stated that she had moved to Plastic City from Berbice about a year ago. “I hear them people went behind hay and say soon we gotta move and they gon find land for we but we ain’t seeing no action,” she reported.
“Every government for all the years in living here never give no positive word or fuh seh that all right, we moving yall or we got land for yall. Nothing aint change,” said a resident called `Gold Teeth’.
The man also stated that access to water and flooding are the main issues they face within the squatting area. “We does go till out to the road to get water; we can’t use the rain water cause all the leaves and so does fall in it and it does get discoloured and so. The high tide come up yesterday and all like the people at the back they flood and still gah water,” he stated.
‘Gold Teeth’ also added, “Some of them glad fuh move but they can’t afford fuh move
cause they got a lot of single parents living inside the area.”
Another resident, Kevin (only name given), chimed in, “When you see a house is one person working in the house and they got about five, six children fuh look after”. Kevin, who is 27 years old, said that he has been living in the area since he was born and nothing has changed in the area in all his time living there.
Rebecca Ramroop, who has been living in Plastic City for 22 years, was happy that Stabroek News went into the area to highlight the issues they face within the squatting community. Ramroop said conditions in the area have gotten worse over the years that she has lived there.
“It getting worse. For the front there, people must be get it better but we gotta move from the back. We does get water (high tide) and when that come you can’t do nothing. We nah get water for wash and suh. Sometimes is trench water and suh we gah use,” Ramroop related. She added that she would like to hear more from the persons in power that can help to change the situation that they are living in.
Residents within the area, though happy that they have a place to live, feel like they are forgotten by those persons in power who had promised them a better life. However, they are hopeful for better conditions and opportunities for themselves and their children.
