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pragmatic improvements for seismic resistance; reconstruction will

be promoted based on timeliness, practicality, basic seismic safety

and local technology; future reliance of the community on technical

assistance will be minimized by creating a self-sustainable talent pool

in earthquake resistant construction; local uniqueness will be

respected over monolithic implementation of standards, and recon-

struction efforts will support environmentally friendly building

techniques.

Safe building training for rural housing reconstruction

For the implementation of the owner-driven Rural Housing

Reconstruction Strategy, IBC took over two Union Councils – Salmia

and Sena Daman, both situated in Hattian Tehsil, Muzaffarabad District,

AJK. The activities of these two projects were implemented by mobile

teams (each team having one engineer, one mason, one carpenter, one

male and one female social mobilizer) covering the area for community

mobilization and formation of Village Reconstruction Committees.

The main focus of the projects was to train self-builders and local

artisans in earthquake-safe construction techniques. All training

modules were supported by visual material and using accessible

language. Information materials with simple drawings and pictures

were distributed and explained. All members of the mobile teams

were trained before the start of the project by experts from UN-Habitat

and the National Society for Earthquake Technology (NSET), Nepal.

Both projects included door-to-door assistance for self-builders, with

IBC mobile teams monitoring and technically advising on earthquake

resistant guidelines. IBC also assisted the monitoring visits of the army

inspection (AI) teams in evaluating progress and supporting the bene-

ficiaries receiving housing instalments from the Government.

The Safe Building Training and Technical Assistance for Rural

Housing Reconstruction project in Salmia UC was implemented

between May 2006 and June 2007, covering 16 main villages and 45

sub-villages. The four mobile teams working in the UC provided train-

ing to 297 masons, 411 carpenters, 22 steel fixers, 9,205 male

self-builders and 388 female self-builders. The training sessions (both

theoretical and practical) were held at IBC Rawal Gali

field camp (also using multimedia) and at different

venues in the sub-villages. Hands-on training was facil-

itated through work contribution of the trainees in

building earthquake resistant model houses for 80 of the

most vulnerable households (headed by widows,

disabled people and senior citizens). As part of the tech-

nical support component of the project, tools sets were

distributed to the self-builders, assistance was provided

for the registration of the landless, village link roads were

cleared and constructed, facilitating the transport of

construction materials to the villages.

The Safe Building Training for Rural Housing

Reconstruction programme in Sena Daman UC covered

19 main villages and was implemented between March

and December 2007. Five mobile teams were active in

community mobilization and lobby for use of earth-

quake-safe construction guidelines. During ten months

of project implementation, IBC trained 2,353 masons,

798 carpenters, 3,866 steel fixers, 3,014 male self-

builders and 707 female self-builders.

Reconstruction in the health sector

In the framework of rehabilitation and reconstruction

policy in the health sector, IBC is involved in the phys-

ical reconstruction of eight basic health units (BHUs) in

Muzaffarabad and Bagh districts (two BHUs in villages

that were earlier targeted by IBC during the emergency

phase), in AJK. The project was implemented with the

financial support and in partnership of Malteser

International, which is also going to provide the neces-

sary furniture and equipment and also eventually

support strengthening the referral system.

At each site, IBC is constructing earthquake resistant

clinics (with structural and architectural designs based on

detailed soil investigations and approved by the National

Engineering Society of Pakistan (NESPAK), the technical

consultant of ERRA), as well as two additional accom-

modation quarters for the lady health visitors (LHVs) and

medical officers (MOs) to be stationed at these clinics.

Reconstruction in education sector

As in the health sector, the reconstruction of education

facilities must follow the standards imposed by the regu-

lating body, ERRA – all physical reconstruction projects

have to pass the requirements of the technical body,

NESPAK, before receiving a Non-Objection Certificate

(NOC) for start of work. In the framework of the

venture with AJDC in Sarbala – the ‘adopted’ village for

reconstruction and rehabilitation – IBC is reconstruct-

ing three governmental school buildings: boys’ and girls’

primary schools and a girls’ middle school. The schools

will be provided with necessary furniture, ready to start

the new educational year.

Following IBC’s involvement in developing and intro-

ducing earthquake-safe and easy-to-build technologies,

plans are being developed for IBC to take over the phys-

ical reconstruction of an additional 100 schools, to be