Bam Earthquake Reconstruction And Recovery

Bijan Khazai, PhD Columbia University, Center for Hazards and Risk Reduction Member EERI
NWFP UET Earthquake Engineering Seminar Islamabad, Pakistan November 2005
Center for Hazards and Risk Research

Bam, Iran Date Magnitude Death Injured December 26, 2003 Richter 6.7 26,271 20,000+

Earthquake Damage and Costs

Bam Total Affected Population Total Homeless Population Buildings Destroyed Shelter Units Constructed 5-year Reconstruction Budget (BEERP) 25,000 26,900 (in-place) 9,005 (in camps) 92,000 75,600 24,000 2,500 Villages 48,000

$220 million loan IBRD $15 million Iranian Govnt 80% allocated to housing and commercial buildings: material, equipment, technical supervision

Current Challenges in Reconstruction Practice

Public Participation Public Communication and Hazard Education

Reactive Policies and Transition Strategies

Public Participation
Highly centralized, top-down governmental framework Technocratic bias
Product vs. Process: Focus on houses not household Displacement of local skills by imported construction technologies

Over-reliance on outsiders, reinforcing an attitude of raised expectations.

Public Communication and Hazard Education

Anxiety and rumors exasperating trauma and suffering
Gap between government response and peoples expectations Costs and Compromises
Added market value to earthquakeresistant design Smaller footprints

Reactive Recovery Policies

Reactive recovery policies mixing short-term recovery needs with long-term disaster mitigation goals may undermine recovery efforts.

Municipal Government Master Plan in Bam. No Reconstruction coastal buffer zone in Sri Lanka.

Dual approach of short-term recovery and long-term planning

Long-term plans often based upon short-term visions of risk and community well-being. Long-term policies must be negotiated on a regular basis. Two parallel efforts
One that deals with short-term recovery and another that deals with long-term strategic planning. These two efforts must be separated from one another for they have different objectives and challenges associated with them

Reconstruction Activity in Bam

Temporary shelter Tents Intermediate Housing
36,000 units, 3x6 meters 27,000 on private property 9,000 on camps (3,100 remain vacant) Delays in construction $2500-$3000 cost per unit

Permanent Housing

Issues in Intermediate Shelter Construction

Climatic Requirements Poorly adapted to hot arid climate of Bam Air-conditioners in all units Lack extended overhang or lintels over windows Lack of shade and trees in camps

Issues in Intermediate Shelter Construction

Cultural Requirements Privacy Location of Facilities Footprint

Issues in Intermediate Shelter Construction

Property Rights Property ownership records Renters or migrants from villages Debris Removal 12 million MT of debris Rubble removal progressing slowly Site Selection Footprint of original house used for intermediate shelter Effect of Master Plan on intermediate housing

Ultimate Goal of Post-Disaster Reconstruction Program is a Long-Term Change in Construction Practice.

In other words, houses built after the financial and technical assistance cease are also earthquake-resistant. People will build earthquake-resistant houses if (1) locally available and widely known building technology (2) culturally acceptable and (3) economically viable (the cost is competitive with popular methods)

Criteria for Successful Housing Reconstruction

with Long-Term Change in Construction Practice

Technical
+Earthquake resistant design +Earthquake resistant construction +Expandable with local materials +Durable +Resistant to other disasters

Economic
+Resources conserved +Competitive in cost with local, common building methods +Skills and materials available through local private sector

Social
+Climatically appropriate +Culturally appropriate +Satisfactory architecture +Satisfactory features +Maintainable +People trust the structure is earthquake-resistant

If a reconstruction programs and policy remain reactive as top-down, technology-driven and house-as-product approaches, people may not live there

Bam, Iran

Hambantota, Sri Lanka

And they will proceed to build houses that are not earthquake resistant

Will earthquake-resistant housing construction practices in Bam continue after government and NGO funding and facilitation cease?

Too early to tell, but

Money too expensive Technology requires special skills, materials People no enforcement, different priorities

Working towards a livelihoods approach to recovery and reconstruction

Recovery and reconstruction should focus on houses (physical capital) as well as households (arena of social and economic life) The aim is often confined to that of delivering tangible and quantifiable products, in the form of products (houses built), often without regard for how - or if - this will improve social and economic status