Watts Up Magazine wattsup magazine online | Page 35

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Dam for water storage/distribution
One characteristic of big projects is that they tend to
be situated or traverse remote rural areas which lack
basic facilities like housing. Their commencement
tends to herald a rise in both rural to rural and urban to
rural migrations, creating a strain on the basic facilities
available.
Speculative investments
Quickprofit seekers set up structures with the intention
of making quick returns. Price of land skyrockets and
entrepreneurs seek loan facilities to expand their
businesses in the projects locations. Workers are well
remunerated including semi-skilled and unskilled labour.
Prices of goods and services escalate due to an imbalance
of demand and supply.
Speculative investment is at an all time high and all
fundamental of investment are ignored since perception
rather than factual analysis becomes the guiding factor.
Windfall
With such a windfall life starts afresh with no sense
of future saving. There is harmony at home since the
domestic budget amounts to a minimal fraction of
the monthly wages. Where people are unable to make
frequent commutes back home, the money is remitted to
the families left behind.
Pipeline construction
As the project nears completion,
reality soon begins to sink in that
most of the haphazard investments
are not sustainable in the post
construction period
With time, reality begins to sink in as the project nears
completion. Shedding off of small groups of labourers
since the project no longer requires their services signals
the beginning of the end of the construction phase.
The newly jobless start idling within the precincts of
shopping centres adjacent to the project site and in
most instances hoping for a recall that never comes.
The economy of affection sets in where the layoffs start
depending on their colleagues whose contracts are still
running for small stipends.
Construction site
WATTS UP MAGAZINE APR - MAY 2017
35