Monrovia – The National Housing Authority (NHA) has announced that plans to construct permanent and decent homes for over one thousand flood victims of West-Point community who agreed to be relocated are on course and expected to be completed by September 2017.
Report by Henry Karmo – [email protected]
According to Prince Wreh Managing director of the National Housing Authority, (NHA), five hundred thousand United States dollars (US$ 500,000.00) of the US$1.2 million allocated for the 108 housing unit project has been received from the Ministry of Finance and development Planning.
At a news conference Monday, June 19, 2017, in Monrovia Wreh praised collaboration with the Ministry of Finance and Development Planning (MFDP) and expressed optimism that the balance funding will be released in time to complete the project on schedule.
The 108 housing units, according to the NHA is expected to be built on 12.5 Acres of land with one mile rehabilitated road access. The Government of Liberia through the NHA in July of 2016 dedicated thirty-two housing units as a quick impact intervention in the Township of Brewerville.
The initiative was geared toward the relocation exercise of sea erosion victims from the Township of West Point. The intervention through the National Housing Authority successfully captured sixty-four family heads.
The West Point community located directly on the shores of the Atlantic Ocean is being gradually wiped away by erosion.
The densely populated slum community which is hosting thousands of people continue to reduce in size as the ocean moves towards Monrovia, eating up the entire community.
Over the last two to three years, West Point has reduced drastically in size as a consequence of seasonal erosion disaster, sweeping away houses and at the same time resulting in deaths.
The government of Liberia has over time expressed willingness to relocate the people of the West Point community to another place in Brewerville but how far these arrangements would have gone was a concern of many.
According to some, several residents of the community are refusing to be relocated despite the danger inching on them daily with the sea fighting for control of the land.
To many, the construction of the 108 housing units for the 64 family heads is welcoming news but what remains a challenge is that the estate house is been constructed without a health care center.
In response to why there isn’t any plan for a health center, Wreh told journalist that surrounding communities to the Housing unit have the basic facilities which include schools and health facilities and as such there is no plan for a dedicated health facility.