A study is currently underway to address issues raised regarding social housing financing programmes.
Speaking in Parliament yesterday, Housing and Urban Planning Minister Amna Al Romaihi said providing affordable homes was a fundamental service provided by the government, as was ‘essential to social stability’.
She highlighted the ministry’s efforts in reducing housing waiting lists, which previously exceeded 55,000 applications in 2022 and have now been reduced to 47,000, despite thousands of new applications being submitted annually.
“We have provided more than 8,000 immediate housing services to citizens, some of whom had been on waiting lists for years,” Ms Al Romaihi added.
The minister further explained that the government has allocated one of its largest budgets for housing projects, amounting to more than BD800 million for this year and next.
This budget will support the construction of 3,754 housing units in major housing towns such as Salman, East Hidd, East Sitra, Khalifa and Al Ramli.
Additionally, she said that there were plans to expand the Land Development Rights Programme through 11 projects over the next two years, providing an additional 4,123 housing units across various governorates.
“The total number of projects and units could increase based on demand and available resources,” she said.
Ms Al Romaihi assured Parliament that the ministry continuously monitors the availability of properties in the market that fall within its financial support schemes.
She pointed to the ‘Bayti’ application that includes more than 20,000 housing units that are compatible with government financing programmes.
“All housing units listed on the application are priced below BD100,000 except in Buhair, where prices exceed this amount due to larger unit sizes,” she explained.
Ms Al Romaihi reassured Parliament that the ministry remained committed to addressing housing concerns and continues to work towards providing suitable housing for all.
“We strive to solve all housing issues brought to our attention and ensure fair access to housing across all governorates,” she added.
She also clarified that citizens currently pay only 40 per cent of the total cost of their housing units, with the government covering the remaining amount through financing schemes.
“The Bahraini government remains dedicated to improving housing accessibility and affordability, with significant budget allocations and strategic housing projects underway,” said Ms Al Romaihi.
Concerns over financing policies, rising costs and regional representation in housing decision-making remain points of discussion, she added.
During the session, several MPs raised concerns about housing costs and financing policies.
MP Mohammed Al Ahmed urged the minister to explore the possibility of fixing housing loan instalments or making them more flexible, arguing that this would increase participation in social housing financing, particularly Bahrain’s social homes financing scheme ‘Mazaya’.
MP Abdulwahid Qarata argued that housing, unemployment and cost-of-living issues are broader than the responsibility of a single minister.
“The housing allowance is a financial burden on the state budget. Instead of continuing allowances, we could focus more on allocating land and building new housing cities,” he suggested.
Mr Qarata also warned that the current housing budget could only address existing applications over the next 15 years, while thousands of new applications will continue to emerge.
MP Mahdi Al Shwaikh questioned why the Northern Governorate ‘lacked representation’ on the Housing Verification Committee, calling for a more inclusive approach.
Strategic Thinking Bloc spokesman MP Khalid Bu Onk raised concerns about the rising costs of apartments, questioning why they varied so significantly.
A government-drafted legislation, based on a Shura Council proposal, to establish a strategic stockpile law has been postponed for three weeks to allow further study.
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