Bahrain in desperate need for government housing

Housing projects are needed deperately in Bahrain say officials.

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The need for government housing projects in Bahrain is desperate, with more than 3,000 residents in the Kingdom on waiting lists – some for up to 22 years.

A survey carried out by the Northern Municipal Council with the help of 21 village charitable funds found that almost 3,200 requests were pending, with one dating as far back as 1988. The report was released as Bahrain marked Arab Housing Day yesterday.

The study will include 18 more villages in the northern region before the end of the year.

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The council also stated that it was waiting for work to commence on the BD1bn Northern Town housing project. Construction of the first 1,500 homes was expected to begin this month but, so far, the development work has not started.

Council financial, administrative and legislative committee chairman Abdulghani Abdulaziz told local reporters from the Gulf Daily News that, "there is no news about the Northern Town although we heard that a company has won the tender for the first batch of houses”.

"Another issue we have to look at is who will be receiving those houses and whether they are from the governorate, if work ever begins," he said.

"It would be something amazing for those who have waited from 1988 to get a home after years of suffering and we hope it would be something that would turn into reality unlike the Northern Town, that was announced in 2002," he added.