TEHRAN – Imam Khomeini Relief Foundation, which has started rebuilding housing units damaged by earthquake in Kermanshah province for the underprivileged, will complete the process by the end of the current Iranian calendar year (March 20, 2019), Ebrahim Bazian, deputy director for housing department of the Foundation has said.

“Earthquake caused minor to severe damages to 10,000 housing units of the families under the Foundation’s coverage,” Bazian said, adding, of which, 4,500 residential units which undergone minor damages have been repaired by governmental handouts.

A powerful earthquake of magnitude 7.3 quake rattled parts of the western province of Kermanshah last November, killing at least 620 people and injuring thousands and leaving many displaced. 

Also, some 5,500 houses have been seriously damaged, some of which were destroyed in the first phase of the earthquake, while others, which are mostly rural, must be fully reconstructed, Mehr quoted Bazian as saying on Saturday.

He went on to note that Sarpol-e-Zahab, Salas Babajani, Gilan-e-Gharb, Qasr-e-Shirin and Islamabad were among the cities of Kermanshah province where the housing units of the families covered by the Foundation have been built.

In the Iranian calendar month of Khordad (May 22-June 21), some 500 quake- stricken housing units have been rebuilt and provided to the residents and the construction of some 2,500 is completed and they are scheduled to be inaugurated on Saturday on the occasion of the Kermanshah earthquake anniversary (November 12).

“In general, some 3,000 houses are reconstructed so far, and the rest will be completed within next four months,” he added.

He went on to note that the housing units provided to the earthquake affected families in Kermanshah province has been rebuilt meeting high quality standards.

Some 4 trillion rials (about $95 million) has been allocated for the post-quake reconstruction of the 10,000 damaged units, he stated, adding, of which, a total of 2.2 trillion rials (about $52 million) has been provided as low interest loans, and some 360 billion rials (about $8 million) have been paid by the government as handouts.

He also added that the Relief Foundation has allocated 660 billion rials (about $15 million) in the aforesaid process, and the residents has paid some 800 billion rials (about $19 million) for rebuilding their houses.

The Foundation also help quake victims purchase new furniture by granting facilities, he noted.

He expressed appreciation to the NGOs and philanthropists who have well cooperated with the foundation in the reconstruction process. 

FB/MQ/MG