Will CitCo Build in the Krooman Lagoon?

According to a recent post on the Belize City Council’s Facebook page, Mayor Bernard Wagner along with Councilor Albert Vaughn and City Council personnel did a walk-through visit of Gungulung and Krooman Lagoon. Mayor Wagner was accompanied by three representatives of the Muslim Community, including two engineers visiting from London.  The purpose of the walkthrough, according to the Facebook post, is the Council’s plan to provide affordable housing for residents who live in these two areas. This visit is to develop a design plan for the Muslim engineers to present to a London-based investment board.  The Krooman Lagoon, as we have shown you over the years, is an area of contention. The spot is a reserve and serves as a water catchment even though squatters have taken over the area.  Krooman Lagoon falls within the Collet Division and area rep Patrick Faber says he didn’t know anything about the Council’s plans. He does know, however, that no construction can be built within the reserve.

Patrick Faber

Patrick Faber, Area Rep, Collet

“I have not been consulted by the Mayor on that. You are right it is in my constituency and you will know the history of the Krooman Lagoon and you will know my position from then it has not changed. The engineers, the experts tell you that Krooman is a natural catchment for waters that drain off from other parts of the city and that it would be  a disaster if they would fill that lagoon to put housing and other kinds of developments on,. In fact, as it is now, we have a lot of squatters on that land. It continues to increase and I continue to warn them that that is not something that I approve of. So, it is a very touchy situation when you have residents who are experiencing extreme poverty and you tell them, listen you can’t continue to live here it would be considered barbaric almost if you go and uproot them. In fact, it is not safe. You saw in 2015 or so, when we had that terrible flood and we had to go in by boats and rescue people from in there because the water drains from other parts of the city into that lagoon. So, I do not support the development of that lagoon by filling it in and I remind folks that it is a reserve, it is government land and that is why I find it even more amazing that the Mayor thinks he can do something through there. And it is a reserve and so you would have to go deserve it and go through some kind of government process that has nothing to do with the City Council. So, he is a bit far-fetched if he is doing that if that is what he is saying he is doing. I don’t know. I haven’t heard his plan and maybe he did intend to come and talk to me. I will have to give him the benefit of the doubt.”