THE Bible warned against building houses on sand.
The Book of Matthew cites the fate of such a house.
“The rain came down, the streams rose, and the windows blew and beat against that house, and it fell with a great crash,” the Scriptural passage said.
There may be a rough analogy to the construction of a large Housing Development Corporation (HDC) project at Old Arima Road, D’Abadie on a weak foundation.
An exhaustive report by the engineering firm CEP Ltd. uncovered several structural weaknesses, including unsuitable soil, construction cracks, a high water table, and other significant irregularities.
Former Housing Minister Dr. Roodal Moonilal said the HDC project is in “shambles” and put the cost to taxpayers is about $100 million.
Moonilal suggested that the houses would not withstand movement such as partying.
He linked the issue to Las Alturas, the Morvant HDC project which was also found to be constructed on unsuitable soil.
There was a shifting of a Las Alturas housing tower and large wall cracks, which led to the abandonment of that building.
The Kamla Persad-Bissessar Administration carried out a Commission of Enquiry into the project.
There has been no disclosure of the contractor involved in the Arima venture, which is made up of a total of 936 residential units.
The project began in 2017, and some 80 houses have been distributed.
The package is made up of 192 three-bedroom townhouses, 260 three-bedroom units, 100 single-family homes, 270 three-bedroom structures, and 114 two-bedroom apartments.
After the Moonilal disclosure, the HDC said it “will not take possession of these townhouses or pay the contractor until these defects are remedied.”
The contractor has been asked to “rectify the defects in accordance with the methodology outlined in the CEP report,” the Corporation said.
No value was placed to defects and the HDC did not state whether the contractor is involved in other housing projects.
This is just the latest in a number of HDC projects undertaken on unsuitable soil and with weak workmanship and various defects.
Noel Garcia was head of HDC during the Las Alturas and Trestrail ventures.
Building houses in such houses in the proverbial sand carry a hefty price tag for taxpayers.
