Dominica: Govt accelerates housing revolution to achieve climate-resilience goal

Climate change is the single biggest health threat facing humanity and impacted the lives of people immeasurably. Due to climate change, the entire world has witnessed the loss of life and livelihoods, the disruption of services, and leaving thousands homeless. So, health professionals worldwide are already responding to the health harms caused by this unfolding crisis.

Dominica: Govt accelerates housing revolution to achieve climate-resilience goal
Dominica: Govt accelerates housing revolution to achieve climate-resilience goal

Roseau, Dominica: Nature- is a beautiful and attractive surrounding around us that makes us happy and provides us with the environment to live healthily. But in recent decades, nature has witnessed drastic changes that impacted on the physical environment, ecosystems, and human societies due to ongoing human-caused climate change.

Climate change is the single biggest health threat facing humanity and impacted the lives of people immeasurably. Due to climate change, the entire world has witnessed the loss of life and livelihoods, the disruption of services, and leaving thousands homeless. So, health professionals worldwide are already responding to the health harms caused by this unfolding crisis.

In the recent report of Reuters published on climate change in 2017, it was mentioned that natural disasters such as floods and storms have been making around 14 million people homeless on average each year. In addition to that, one such study also named the regions such as South and Southeast Asia for witnessing the highest displacement and housing loss.

Besides this, natural calamities have also impacted the countries in the Latin America and the Caribbean and created a vulnerable situation in the regions.

The countries like Dominica, commonly known as the nature isle of the Caribbean, have faced numerous natural calamities. Despite this fact, the country was shattered by the attack of Tropical Storm Erika and Hurricane Maria.

The aforementioned disasters caused immeasurable losses, as Tropical Storm Erika witnessed an economic decline that was approximately 90% of Gross Domestic Product (GDP), as per the report by OCHA Services and UNDP.

On the other hand, the Post-Disaster Needs Assessment reads that Hurricane Maria caused damage to Dominica of EC$2.51 billion (US$931 million) and losses of EC$1.03 billion (US$382 million). The total deterioration was equivalent to 226% of GDP in 2016.

The natural disasters due to climate change left the Dominicans helpless and vulnerable. They found no means to rebuild and recover and forced the government to create a suitable path which was without the assistance of the international community. However, the step could decline the country’s situation and further sink into significant debt.

Hence, the government has stepped in to formulate new policies in urban planning and develop integrated housing communities across the nation. In order to fulfil the aim of rebuilding the country, the Housing Revolution Programme (Integrated Housing Development) came into force.

So, the Citizenship by Investment Programme of Dominica, commonly known as one of the best and most secured routes to alternative citizenship, turned out to be a significant assistance in the tough times. The programme has supported the government-led initiative and framed a mechanism to provide new, modern, integrated housing facilities to low-and middle-income families.

The programme has shown the result in just two years as the country started witnessing the resettlement of the displaced families in December 2018 at Bellevue Chopin Housing Development. With the three hundred fifty (350) residential units, a 28-unit commercial complex, a community centre, a health centre, and a recreational field, the government has assisted the first integrated community on the island.

Reportedly, a total of twelve houses have sprung out across the East Coast, West Coast and the capital city, Roseau, in the past three years. So far, around 2,000 housing units under the housing development project have been assembled.

Besides this, the regions such as Scotts Head, Eggleston, Canefield, Vieille Case, Pineville, Point Michel, Woodford Hill, Paix Bouche, and Roseau Valley will also witness housing developments.

The Grand Bay in 2023 will also be part of the master-planned community development. The project will feature great amenities such as crafted homes and a picturesque view of Grand Bay Ville are services and amenities such as shops, basketball court, community centre, pocket parks, recreational spaces, and gas station; safely secured 24/7, with the police station and fire station within the area.

Under the development project, the standard design will feature a mixture of two- and three-bedroom houses and apartments with a toilet and bath, a living room, a dining area, and a kitchen. Further, the construction will be totally based on the resilience factor as the structure was built with reinforced concrete with stormproof windowpanes. It is also fortified with retaining walls, sewage and stormwater drainages, and all utility lines are underground.

Besides the feature of climate resilience in homes, the programme also framed the path for upliftment and strengthening livelihoods. The developments will provide employment assistance to the local contractors and other skilled workers.

As the environment is witnessing drastic and rapid change where climate resilience and renewal of the community become necessary measures to adopt. So, the projects such as the Integrated Housing Development Programme adopted by the countries like Dominica could become an example of the successful achievement of the integration of housing and recovery. The project will help in the improvement of the quality and standard of life and stringer the socio-economic status of the most vulnerable also.