Heavy rains threaten NHA housing project

THE NATIONAL Housing Authority (NHA) project underway in Tarouba, San Fernando, could suffer serious setbacks, if current infrastructural works continue to be undermined by earth movement. The foundations of two units have already collapsed, and a Newsday tour of the site yesterday, just off the San Fernando Bypass, revealed that the land where 219 housing units are being constructed, could suffer serious movement following heavy rainfall. Project manager of NH International (Caribbean), John Williams, told Newsday that two separate foundations for two units had already collapsed. Williams noted that the land on which the houses were being built had to be “worked upon” to achieve the desirable solid foundation.

Williams said the collapse of the foundations was not unusual. “These things happen in the normal course of construction,” Williams said. Yesterday, NH workers, who had cleared the foundation, were in the process of rebuilding the  concrete floors of the two units. Newsday learnt that the the foundation collapsed during heavy rains in May, before the flooring for both units cracked. Williams denied that earth movement caused by heavy rains had threatened to undermine the foundation works. NH issued a memo dated July 7, signed by Welshman Williams, in which the project manager called on operators of heavy equipment to avoid going too close to the units. “Most of the damage was done to roofs,” the memo stated.