Moving to a New Home

Cap Anamur rebuilds a total of 300 houses

The heavy monsoon rains in July and August 2010 flooded about one-fifth of Pakistan. More than 1,700 people died in the flood, and several million lost their homes. The arduous reconstruction process will take years, and many Pakistanis will have to live in their makeshift shelters for quite some time. This makes the positive news from the heavily devastated region of Punjab all the more gratifying: more than half of the families from our house construction project have already moved into their new homes. The people involved are committed to their work and we have made rapid progress.

In the run-up, our team of technicians took care of the planning and organization. It was no easy task to procure materials in an area whose infrastructure was completely paralyzed in some places. “The stone press alone presented us with a real logistical challenge. But there was no alternative for us, because with it we can produce stones from sand and cement ourselves at low cost. This makes our work a lot more independent,” explains technician Andreas Meyer. Another advantage is that the bricks are not fired with fire like conventional bricks, but dry in the sun. This production method enables the responsible use of raw materials. In a country as deforested as Pakistan, this is especially important. With the active support of families and about 300 local masons initially made thousands of stones.

Construction of the approximately 200 houses took place in three phases, the first two of which are now complete. The official handover to the new owners is currently underway. The third phase with a further 45 houses will start in parallel. It is expected that they will be ready for occupancy at the beginning of June. The new houses are built more stable and flood-proof.

Other construction projects that Cap Anamur has carried out in Pakistan

In addition to the house building project, Cap Anamur is rehabilitating 13 schools. They are all located in the villages around Rajanpur and all have been so badly damaged that no classes can be held there since the flood. Four of the schools even need to be completely rebuilt.

In the meantime, we were able to complete the construction work on the medical facilities. In order to ensure the supply of people in the area, they were given priority. The two technicians Volker Rath and Andreas Herr restored a total of six facilities. Some had to be renovated from the ground up, and some had to be completely rebuilt. In addition to various smaller, ten- to 15-bed hospitals, the waters completely submerged the 150-bed hospital in Jampur. The damage to the masonry and furnishings was immense. In the Rajanpur District Hospital, where we as an aid organization still care for malnourished children today, we had to renovate the operating room, the laboratory and the emergency room, among other things. Most of the technical equipment was defective, but could be replaced quickly.

In the meantime, we were able to complete the construction work on the medical facilities. In order to ensure the supply of people in the area, they were given priority. The two technicians Volker Rath and Andreas Herr restored a total of six facilities. Some had to be renovated from the ground up, and some had to be completely rebuilt. In addition to various smaller, ten- to 15-bed hospitals, the waters completely submerged the 150-bed hospital in Jampur. The damage to the masonry and furnishings was immense. In the Rajanpur District Hospital, where we as an aid organization still care for malnourished children today, we had to renovate the operating room, the laboratory and the emergency room, among other things. Most of the technical equipment was defective, but could be replaced quickly.