Habitat earthquake reconstruction project well underway in Tajikistan

DUSHANBE / KHUJAND – Habitat for Humanity Tajikistan has completed the first and second phases of its earthquake reconstruction project, which began last October following the earthquakes that struck the country in 2006. The quakes, which measured between 5 and 5.5 on the Richter scale, killed three children, injured 19 people and destroyed or partly damaged 2,600 homes, affecting more than 20,000 people.

One of the hardest hit areas was the Zamini Nav village, where almost 130 houses were destroyed, making over 1,000 people homeless. Since many of the homes are poorly constructed from mud and have no earthquake measures considered in the construction, they are extremely vulnerable to the elements.

Habitat visited the Zamini Nav village following the disasters, together with Oxfam GB and Global Partners GB. After conducting a survey of each of the 130 households, Habitat and its partners came up with a two-phase project that included rehabilitation and disaster prevention and preparedness.

Habitat for Humanity’s first phase response involved the reconstruction of 81 homes in Zamini Nav and a training program to strengthen the capacity of the community to reduce the impact of earthquakes with more earthquake-resistant houses. Habitat Tajikistan and Oxfam conducted the trainings on safer construction practices. As a result, 151 villagers have been trained in these building methods and are helping prepare their village to be more resilient to the challenges of future earthquakes.

In the second phase of response, Habitat completed 62 houses.

Habitat provided some of the shelter materials, including galvanized sheets of metal for 81 roofs and 410 kilograms of nails. Global Partners and Oxfam also provided construction materials. Habitat partner families contributed mud bricks and the rest of the necessary construction materials that were reusable from their old house.

Because the families were unable to finance both construction and finish their half-built homes and at the same time meet their basic daily necessities such as food, HFHT partnered with World Food Programme Tajikistan in the second phase of the program to meet the household subsistence needs during the construction period.

The completion of the remaining 20 homes is planned for the end of July 2007.

In the third and current phase of the project, Habitat, in partnership with the United Nations Disaster Risk Management Programme and the Institute of Seismology, will support 120 families in three communities of Kumsangir. Together, they will work with Habitat families to provide an alternative and affordable solution to strengthen their existing housing stock using locally-available materials. This project is expected to be completed by September 2007.