BEYOND REBUILDING

THE MUD HOUSES

EXTEND OF DAMAGE
In its aftermath the floods left 98 people dead and thousands displaced with children and women facing the high risk of water borne diseases and exposure to the ravages of harsh winter weather. Around 3,264 households were destroyed. There were 25,000 displaced people in Hadramout, half of whom were women and children Director of Ministry of Public Health and Populations office in Hadramout Coast Al-Abd BaMousa told the Yemen Times that there are fears of the poliomyelitis virus, more commonly known as infantile paralysis or polio, spreading because of the extent of stagnant water and destroyed infrastructure in most districts of the governorate.

DAMAGE TO THE AGRICULTURAL SECTOR

According to the findings of governmental damage-assessment committees, agricultural losses in Hadramout have reached around YR 67 billion. Floods have swept up to 6,955 acres of agricultural land, killed livestock, destroyed beehives and damaged agricultural equipment. The price of honey is expected to double and grain production in both governorates is expected to be low this year. The government plans to boost grain and wheat cultivation in other governorates to make up for the loss. In Maharah, not only have farms been washed away, but fishermen have also lost their livelihoods with almost 95 fishing boats and fishing equipment belonging to over 450 people lost in the floods, according to a report by the European Commissions Office for Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA). The government has estimated losses in all sectors in Maharah have been estimated to reach YR 13.7 billion.

EXTEND OF DAMAGE
The initial assessment by the government committee set in coordination with local authorities in the Hadramout and Al-Maharah provinces and according to the UNHCR reports as follows: 1. 86 Death And 85 Missing people 2. 3,441 Homes damaged in Hadramout and 711 homes damaged in Al-Maharah 3. 20,000 People Displaced 4. 23 Vehicles washed away 5. 45 Fishing Boat missing 6. 5,000 Acres Of Agriculture Lands (Farms) destroyed 7. 115 Water Systems destroyed 8. 750KM Agricultural Channels demolished 9. 450 Waterholes flooded 10. 450 Water pumps washed away 11. 130,000 Palm trees destroyed 12. 7,000 Animals were killed 13. 181 Schools destroyed 14. 70%Telecommunications Cables destroyed 15. 1,000 Beehives

SHORT TERM SOLUTION

distributing relief items such as food, providing temporary shelter, tents, mattresses, blankets, mosquito nets, water tanks, hygiene kits, measles and polio vaccination boost disease, construction of earthworks embankments and gabion protection to train flows within the Wadi bed, and prevent erosion of valuable agricultural land; and the reconstruction and other measures to improve conditions at canal heads. The assistance needed urgently in the area identified by the government is as follows: 1. Generators 2. Food Supplies 3. Mobile Clinics 4. Water Suction Machine 5. Sprayers/ sprinklers of epidemics 6. Equipments to spray anti-malaria 7. Doctors to provide treatment in affected areas 8. Medical supplies and Masks 9. Tents, Blankets and Beds 10. Basic cutleries and cooking utensils 11. Ambulances 12. Clothes

BROAD SCOPE IN SURMOUNTING PREDICAMENTS 1 (UNICEF) to rebuild and equipped the schools to be able to receive the students 2. INTERNATIONAL HEATH ORGANIZATIONS to: a. Provide medicines b. Sprays to prevent the spread of disease c. Some medical teams if needed 3. INTERNATIONAL AGRICULTURAL ORGANIZATIONS to: a. Help rebuild and maintenance of irrigation systems b. Restore the agricultural land which has been destroyed 4. INTERNATIONAL FOOD ORGANIZATIONS could aid in providing food supplies 5. Visible STUDIES TO REBUILD THE INFRASTRUCTURE AND HOMES DESTROYED 6. STUDIES TO REBUILD THE BRIDGE THAT HAS BEEN DESTROYED

INDIVIDUAL S TREPIDATION

Almost all the owners who had lost their homes would not be able to finance reconstruction work

A massive inventory is needed to track land property owners and their records and verify those affected to entitlement to partial or full homeless financial assistance

EDUCATIONAL IMPEDIMENT

About 180 schools were damaged by the floods, grounding education to a halt and leaving thousands of students idle, according to the UN Childrens Fund (UNICEF) office in Yemen. The problem is compounded by the fact that hundreds of families have taken refuge in 45 schools.

The head of Mukalla Education Office said it had been decided to close schools until a team assessed the damage. Seventy percent of the 42 schools in Mukalla, Hadramouts biggest district in which about 50,000 students are enrolled, were damaged, he said. There were 20,000 to 25,000 displaced people in Hadramout, half of whom were women and children.

MOVING FORWARD
It is feasible to rebuild damaged structures. It calls for minimized bureaucracy headed by a dynamic management team and backed by dedicated experienced professional and construction groups Building on new empty land in lieu of existing property may proof to be cheaper and faster. However it should not be a stand alone project. The calamity unfolds rare opportunity to revitalize the local economy and enhance social and environmental issues It made it possible to realize new strategies on redevelopment

typical urban conurbation

LONG TERM SOLUTION

INTRODUCING THE CONCEPT

THE BROAD STRATEGY

BUILD NEW SETTLEMENTS apart from immediate reconstruction work, build new dedicated housing settlements integrated with agricultural, commercial and industrial sectors to make it as a self contained economic entity It should be planned with adequate affordable housing and supporting social amenities. The new settlement would also accommodate for the social and economic need for the growing population

INITIAL IMPLEMETATION OUTLOOK

EMPOWERED LOCAL AGENCY and INTEGRATED PROFESSIONAL TEAM

affordable housing & infrastructure

social & economic sustenance

urban food production

water & soil resource management

human resources training

THE PROCESS

SET UP CENTRAL OPERATION

director architect engineers surveyors legal official project brief financial allocation

EVALUATION

ALTERNATIVE SITE

PLANNING

EXECUTION

maps classificationdamages & population records relief aid category

surveys on geological hydrological soil services on water electrical telecom sewerage waste transportation

population projection social services economic activities affordable housing detailed design

finance consultants turn-key contracts turn key contractors contracts contractors sub-contractors suppliers bid packages tender award monitor progress work monitor cash flow commissioning finalize account/contract

yard

yard

HOUSING
BEDROO M LIVIN G BEDROO M BEDROO M LIVIN G DININ G

DININ G BEDROO M

DETERMINE THE FOLLOWINGS

KITCHE N

KITCHE N

lawn

PORC H

lawn

PORC H

Number , types and standards of housing units including self help core housing (a small living space that the owner can expand on incremental basis-vertically or horizontally) Standards have to be modest in accordance with affordability and needs of target groups Allow for additional houses for others to buy Allow for expansion area

Phase 1 - 52.7 sq m. Building 10 x 9 m

Phase 2 add 31.5 sq m Lot size 10 x 20 m

729 & 788 sq m, corner 1045 sq m

55 sq m

Cluster home concept - self contained community

Modular planning concept

Introducing new construction techniques (including traditional)

IBS Industrial Building System Provision of mandatory maintenance management Utilization waste recycling

Study in planning a contemporary neighborhood versus present subdivision practices by Ahmed Farid Moustapha

FAST TRACK CONSTRUCTION EXAMPLE

fill formwork

a lightweight plastic injection moulded formwork system, branded as moladi, and a South African Bureau of Standards approved lightweight aerated mortar (concrete with no stone), a cast in situ monolithic (one piece) reinforced walling system is created. The result is a fast track and cost effective formwork construction technology. re-use and repeat process

INTEGRATE AGRICULTURAL DEVELOPMENT WITHIN THE SETTLEMENT

prioritized agricultural production on the need for food within the settlement itself symbiotic support on food undersupply from neighboring settlements. Grain and wheat cultivation had been identified set up crash crop production after ensuring the local regional need is met

URBAN FOOD PRODUCTION

THE GAZA FARMERS

It was hard to find a house in the camps or villages without a place for raising animals, such as: hens, rabbits, pigeons, ducks, sheep, goats and sometimes cows. Domestic animal-raising remained significant in Gaza in the period between the two intifadas and till now : more than 30,000 rabbits, 50,000 pigeons, 20,000 ducks/geese and 5,000 turkeys. 570 farms of meat chicken and 120 farms of egg chicken were registered in Gaza. 60 % of these farms were located within residential areas . An estimated 5000 sheep and goats were also raised, of which 2,500 inside homes or in nearby gardens, with the remaining 2,500 owned by Bedouins with an average of 10-15 units per family. There were 2,500 milk cows, of which 70 % are raised by families who own 5 cows or less; only 10 % belonged to farms/families who own 20 or more units.

EXAMPLE OF COMMUNITY INVOLVEMENT

PARC (Palestine Agricultural Relief Committees) was set up by four agronomists in 1983. Within ten years PARC grew from a community-based popular organization to a professional service provider. By 1993 the organization had a salaried staff of almost 250 and was providing over half the agricultural extension services in the territories. One way is through cooperatives. Under a scheme supported by PARC, farmers from the area bring olive oil to a cooperative in Ramallah, where it is weighed and bottled for export to Europe. The farmers grew vegetables on their land during the first two years while the new trees and vines were maturing. Last summer, the trees produced their first crop -over a ton of apples, almonds, peaches, apricots, and grapes. In 1993, PARC set up a women's unit that offered extension services and training in nutrition, bee-keeping, gardening, and food processing. Shortly afterwards, PARC also set up a Women's Revolving Fund, which extended loans of between $2,000 and $5,000 for plant and animal production. Grassroots International supports a group of 'women's clubs' in the Jericho area, which PARC uses to train women in a range of small-scale economic and agricultural activities. PARC has put up $45,000 to build a water filtration plant that will turn liquid sewage into water for irrigation. This will enable fifteen families to water their land. The project will also provide employment, because PARC has also hired villagers to build an access road to the plant. The road will open isolated land beyond the village

This is one more reminder that self-sufficiency on its own is not enough. Unless it is part of a wellplanned social movement, with goals, resources, training, community participation, and expert assistance,

WATER OUR MOST PRECIOUS COMMODITY

SANA'A, Nov. 9 A seminar on the hazards of using sewage water to irrigate crops was held on Thursday in Taiz during the Al-Saeed Forum for Sciences and Culture. Chaired by Professor Abdulrahman Al-Zubairi, chairman of the department of Microbiology in the Faculty of Sciences at Taiz University, the seminar stressed the importance of immediate attention to the fact that a shortage of water resources has prompted many Yemeni farmers to resort to use sewage water to irrigate their farms. Al-Zubairi explains, "The shortage of water is the result of both the increasing rate of population growth and irresponsible irrigation. Only seven percent of underground water is consumed by the population, while 93 percent is used for irrigating crops, especially qat."
www.pbs.org

The total amount of water used annually is 3.5 billion cubic meters of which 93 percent is used in agriculture, 6 percent in households and 1 percent by industry. According to the Ministry of Agriculture and Irrigation, the renewed fresh water is 2.5 billion cubic meters per year creating a gap between used water and renewed fresh water of one billion cubic meters a year. As a result of the using sewage in irrigation, many diseases prevail among Yemenis. "Parasite worms like scares, namibia, cardiae and dysentery are rampant. In addition, infectious diseases like cholera, typhoid, diarrhea, and viral diseases like the liver virus have spread due to the pollution of vegetables. Sewage water is usually full of nitrate salts, which cause stomach ache and even cancer," Al-Zubairi explained. "Sewage could be used in a suitable way. We have to learn from developed countries to use sewage to irrigate forests and parks" said Al-Zubairi. He adds that drying out sewage water and turning it into fertilizer allows it to become less hazardous and is better than using it directly for irrigation.

SOIL & WATER CONSERVATION reuse water from new settlements for agriculture
through man-made ponds and wetlands, designed soil filters, storm water treatment and also sludge filtration plants

an olive grove
select crops most suitable for its area such as dates, olives and vegetables

SOIL & WATER CONSERVATION adopt drip and sprinkler irrigation system for agriculture.

Water is applied to each plant through one or more emitters and/or microsprayers located at, or just above, ground level (up to 300 mm above). The system suits areas of high temperatures and limited water resources. This system allows for the accurate application of water with minimal loss due to evaporation, poor distribution and seepage, or over-watering.

DRIP IRRIGATION
Water is applied to each plant through one or more emitters and/or micro sprayers located at, or just above, ground level (up to 300 mm above). The system suits areas of high temperatures and limited water resources. This system allows for the accurate application of water with minimal loss due to evaporation, poor distribution and seepage, or over-watering. Due to the small diameter of the emitter openings, filtration of the water is normally required to reduce potential blockages in these systems

A SOFT REMINDER ON

AGRICULTURAL DEVELOPMENT
WITHIN THE NEW SETTLEMENT
According to WHO reports, Qat production seriously damages the already weak Yemeni economy. Many farmers replace coffee and other useful crops with Qat trees as they yield far larger profits. More than 90,000 Qat trees were planted on Yemeni farms during the 30 years from 1970 to 2000, the report said. It is also found that about 60 percent of areas that could be used to grow cash crops are being used to cultivate Qat, which consumes huge quantities of Yemens already limited underground water. It is estimated that 40 PERCENT OF THE COUNTRYS WATER SUPPLY IS USED TO IRRIGATE QAT CROPS, and production increases by 10 to 15 percent every year. Water consumption is so high that groundwater levels in the Sanaa basin are diminishing, and the reservoir is expected to run dry in just over 10 years. The water table in Sanaa City has dropped by 20 meters in less than 20 years. This is an alarming indication that Sanaa City could encounter a serious shortage of water in coming 20 years. The primary consumers of water in the area are qat plantations.

WASTE MANAGEMENT
An in-depth analysis needs to be made for selecting the right type of waste management. Using thermal treatment plant from Japan is expensive and needs high level monitoring. However it ensures safety of aquifers. Alternatively, there is also the option in adopting the integrated waste-to-energy (WtE) incinerator Sanitary Land filling method is by far cheaper but it needs extensive land area

sanitary land filling

HUMAN RESOURCES TRAINING PROGRAMS

reconstruction work generates immediate demand for skilled & semi skilled workers. Need to provide crash vocational training in general construction work and apprenticeships on other trades which could be provided by mualims, sub-contractors and suppliers. establish community vocational schools

ESTABLISH ZAKAT ENDOWMENT FUND

the calamity creates large number of poor poverty stricken individuals in need to earn basic living income. Their needs are prolific such as on land, capital, tools, equipments, fertilisers, cooperatives and supporting advisory bodies. Some would need medical care and being able to borrow support equipments. Establishing a zakat endowment fund body would certainly facilitates the need in an organized manner and would attract contributions from the international communities

INTEGRATE COTTAGE, S & M SCALE ENTERPRISES

there is in need to have a blueprint on short and long term basis for local cottage and light manufacturing activities. Training and extending loan facilities to purchase light machineries to improve production is essential. Targeted activities could include handicrafts, apparel and food processing and agricultural based endeavors for example such as for bee keeping and poultry farming
cottage industry is an industry primarily manufacturing which includes many producers, working from their homes, typically part time. The term originally referred to home workers who were engaged in a task such as sewing, lace-making or household manufacturing

STARTING THE SETTLEMENT THE IMPETUS

Each settlement could be planned as a dedicated small township. Assuming there is requirement to build health and educational facilities, these could become the initial development nodes needing human resource training in construction and supporting staff. Additional housing is needed for these staff apart from allocation for displaced residents. There is the need to provide schools and local commercial centre and nearby area for cottage and small industry activities. Urban food production should be dovetailed into the scheme. conserve soil through the greening of the land with sound soil management practice. Apply the basic dictum of reduce, recycle, reuse and recover on water utilisation and select the right type of waste management system

THE STRATEGIES

Resolving critical housing need for the displaced residents and allow plan for the growing population including those serving the neighborhood
maintain population density control to match manpower requirement, housing and community facilities

Supplement income through cottage industry and urban food production

Extensive human resources training programs Plan self-contained neighbourhood with adequate communal facilities and locate the neighbourhood school within walking distance reachable safely from homes preserving quality of air, water and land use and maximise reuse water utilisation for agricultural purposes

proposed development at thibi-terim

The forlorn look at losing everything