Cheaper housing for TT is possible

THE EDITOR: Knowledge is power; ignorance is slavery. Dance to this news. Affordable housing is possible. It’s happening in Kenya.

“With a deficit of 250,000 housing units per annum, a new building technology in Kenya, known as expanded polystyrene (EPS) panel technology, is expected to turn around the construction industry. The technology uses cheaper materials compared to conventional stones and yet strong enough to withstand...” strong forces.

I contend that the Government and monopoly businesses in the real estate industry are standing in the way of affordable housing. Polystyrene housing could break up TT’s aggregate cartel and create a new downstream use for its oil reserves.

A polystyrene sheet, 5.5 x 3 metres, costs $328, factory price. It’s cheaper to import a housing kit from Kenya than build a house of similar size with traditional materials bought in TT.

Squatters cooperate with each other and build more houses than government and the private sector. If squatters had alternative materials like industrial polystyrene foam sheets they would also build stronger homes than government and private contractors.

B JOSEPH

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