Interims Report of the SOA for Reconstruction in Bam / Iran
August 2004
Organisation: Caritas Switzerland
Emergency Aid
Bettina Buehler
Loewenstrasse 3
CH – 6002 Lucerne
+41 (0) 41 419 23 84
Location: Village of Baghchamak, Pakam and Gavmurdeh,
Bam, Islamic Republic of Iran
Project: Rehabilitation and repair of the irrigation system
Reconstruction of 433 private houses
Sensitisation in earthquake resistant building
Project Duration: February 2004 – October 2005
Reporting period: February 2004 – July 2004
Total Amount: Euro 4’400’999.-
Table of content:
1. General Information
1.1. General conditions
1.2. Project aims
1.3. Finances
2. Review of the cooperation with the project partners
2.1. Caritas Network in Iran
2.2. The Housing Foundation
2.3. Focal Point for the sector of shelter and reconstruction
2.4. The Shohra
2.5. The Beneficiaries
3. Process of the project
3.1. Chronological activities of the project
3.1.1. Request for authorizations and funding
3.1.2. The irrigation system
3.1.3. Formulation of contracts
3.1.4. Searching for enterprises and signing of the contracts
3.1.5. The model house
3.1.6. Status quo of the reconstruction project
3.1.7. Registration of Caritas in Iran
3.1.8. Other NGOs working in Baghchamak, Pakam and Gavmurdeh
3.2. Challenges for the reconstruction programme
4. Monitoring of the project through Caritas Switzerland
4.1. Presence of Caritas Switzerland in Bam
4.2. Monitoring
4.3. Reporting cycle
5. Deviations of the SOA 1/2004
5.1. The training component
5.2. The Trainee of Caritas Iran
5.3. Time frame
6. Adjoined project content
6.1. The building of the walls
6.2. The Beneficiary Programme
6.3. Handicapped accessible solution
6.4. Size of the houses
6.5. Prices of material and labour
6.6. Project outlook
7. Visibility
8. Attachments
1. General Information
1.1. General conditions
The Islamic Republic of Iran, being located in the active Alpine-Himalayan seismic belt is an earthquake prone area. In the past century the country experienced more than 130 strong earthquakes with a magnitude of 7.5 or more. 21 large earthquakes have claimed approximately 140’000 lives, destroyed many towns and hundreds of villages.
On 26th of December 2003 at 05:27 local time, there was an earthquake with the scale of 6.6 on Richter in Kermala Province. The epicentre with a depth of approximately 10 kilometres was right under the city of Bam, a town in the desert, 1000 km southern of the capital Tehran. The serious consequences made it necessary that CI and its partner organizations started to become active.
1.2. Project aims
The specific project aims for the reconstruction activities of Caritas Switzerland under the umbrella of Caritas Network in the three villages in Bam are:
§ The irrigation systems are cleaned from rubble, repaired and in function
§ 433 houses are reconstructed and people have returned to their homes
§ Beneficiaries are involved in the reconstruction process and knowledge about earthquake resistant building is acquired
§ The local tradition –in building and living- is matched
§ The general living condition in the three villages has increased
1.3. Finances
The budget of the reconstruction activities of Caritas Switzerland in Iran from the SOA 1/2004 was totally Euro 2’451’041.00.- whereof Euro 2’151’041.- were asked from Caritas Member organisations. As yet the Caritas Network financial participation with 12 member organisations reaches a total sum of Euro 1’863’089.13 (some contributions are made in USD but are converted).
As the Caritas Network project, implemented by Caritas Switzerland was enlarged (see point 3.1.1. Request for authorizations and funding) with financial contribution coming from Switzerland, the new budget increased to Euro 4’400’999.00.- (for the composition of the two budgets, see attachment 1: Revised Budget of the Reconstruction Project Caritas Switzerland in Bam).
The summary of the contributions in Euro is as follows:
Contributor / Amounts pledged / Amounts received / Date receivedCA Andorrana / 18'073.00 / 18'073.48 / 18.06.2004
CA Austria / 210'000.00
CA Belgium / 50'000.00 / 50'000.00 / 21.04.2004
CA Czech / 7'000.00 / 3'000.00 / 15.07.2004
Cafod (GBP) / 236'000.00 / 243'000.00 / 26.03.2004
CA Liechtenstein / 24'516.13
CA Luxembourg / 500'000.00 / 245'334.35 / 23.07.2004
CA Polen (USD) / 294'000.00 / 295'000.00 / 27.05.2004
CA Scotland / 18'000.00 / 18'265.93 / 04.06.2004
Development+Peace (CAD) / 75'500.00 / 38'601.61 / 01.07.2004
Secours Catholique / 200'000.00 / 200'000.00 / 15.06.2004
Trocaire / 230'000.00 / 230'000.00 / 20.04.2004
Caritas Switzerland [1] / 2'235'045.00 / 967'000.00 / 21.04.2004
Total / 4'098'134.13 / 2'308'275.37
Balance / 302'865.00
Out of the planed sum for activities till know USD 188’695.42.- are spent. The sum is still quite low, as the large payment transactions for the main contractors did not start till August 2004. For the detailed financial interim accounting please see attachment 2: Financial Report February - July 2004.
2. Review of the cooperation with the project partners
2.1. Caritas Network in Iran
There is a regular exchange and intercommunication between the different national Caritas Organisations (Iran, Italy, Holland and Switzerland) present in Iran. There are periodical meetings, which are aiming at updating everybody and having a common point of view and appearance as Caritas Network in certain subjects. Furthermore there are bilateral talks with all member organizations, especially with Cordaid as they are having a reconstruction programme as well and despite the different standards, often the same challenges.
Additionally Caritas Iran provides full support for all logistical matters, which can be done in Tehran only and with relevant information concerning all aspects of the stay and work of Caritas Network in Iran.
2.2. The Housing Foundation
The Natural Disaster Headquarters (NDH) under the Ministry of Interior in Iran is responsible for policy, guidance, supervision and coordination of disaster and post-disaster activities including reconstruction with the cooperation of all respected government agencies. The direct supervision as far as reconstruction of private housing is concerned, is under the Housing Foundation of Iran (a semi-governmental organization). The management takes place on a minister, province and local level. Caritas Switzerland stays in regular contact with all different levels, depending which subject is affected. Although all levels of the Housing Foundation always stress their willingness to cooperate and are open for meetings and propositions, there is no cognizable entity within the Housing Foundations and different solutions and commitments are everyday life. Even so, the cooperation between Caritas Switzerland and the Housing Foundation is on a complaisant understanding on all different levels. The tedious process of gaining the permission for the reinforced concrete standard facilitated for Caritas the reputation of a profound and reliable organisation that is now often helpful for discussions, particularly as more and more people in the government tend to highlight the advantages in the reinforced concrete solution and are open for different standards.
2.3. Focal Point for the sector of shelter and reconstruction
Since almost the beginning of the activities of Caritas Network in Bam, Caritas Switzerland is the focal point for shelter and reconstruction. At first it was under the Mandate of UNOCHA; since they left in April 2004, it is carried on independently. The reunion helps to update every involved agency in reconstruction about relevant matters from the local authorities or in general, to discuss about common problems and ideas and to actualise everybody about the different projects. Minutes are written of the biweekly meeting and are distributed to the relevant participants.
2.4. The Shohra
Every village has a Shohra, which consist of representatives for the village as a whole. These are one of the main partners for Caritas Switzerland and key personalities for a successful implementation as they spread and support the idea, the process of reconstruction and are the main link between Caritas and the villagers. Therefore regular bilateral meetings with the different Shohras are held in order to guarantee the information flow as well as gaining their support and meeting their need and ideas. Till now three meetings were held with all Shohras together to show them the transparent and open way Caritas would like to work. The next meeting is planned for October 2004.
2.5. The Beneficiaries
The self-participation of the beneficiaries (see also point 3.1.3. Formulation of contracts) is a basic objective of projects implemented by Caritas Switzerland. The circumstances in Bam are difficult for the implementation of this idea: there is no tradition of self-construction and therefore also almost no knowledge in building; there are just few bread-earners in families, which mainly work in the date cultivation and cannot leave work as then the family income would be lost; the climatically conditions for physical work are difficult, specially because of the summer time, where there is heat till up to 46 degrees. As the participation of the beneficiary is an integral part of the project but also a difficult one to realize and therefore needed action, a Beneficiary Programme was set up concerning all villages (see point 5.4.1 The Beneficiary Programme).
3. Process of the project
3.1. Chronological activities of the project
3.1.1. Request for authorizations and funding:
Because of the size of the disaster, CI and its member organisations decided to mandate and set up an Emergency Response Support Team (ERST) aimed among others at assessing the medium and long term needs of the needed population and planning adequate responses in the field of emergency relief shelter, rehabilitation and reconstruction. Starting as part of the ERST, since January 7th 2004 on, Caritas Switzerland is continuously on site. At the end of January 2004 the architect, who is since then accompanying the project as a consultant, for the first time visited Bam and its surroundings.
After having assessed the situation and possibilities, the ideas and the capacities of the local government as well as the needs and perceptions of the inhabitants of Bam, Caritas Switzerland decided to come up with a proposal containing a long-term reconstruction programme of private housing in Baghchamak, including the reparation of the irrigation system (as part of a common SOA from Caritas Iran, Holland and Switzerland). The cooperation contract with the Housing Foundation concerning the 265 houses in Baghchamak was signed on February 14th 2004.
During the same time, Swiss Solidarity decided to open a donations account, which gave Caritas Switzerland the possibility to submit a project proposal in the field of reconstruction and therefore make the first enlargement of the Caritas Network project. The content of the proposal was to take over Pakam, a neighbouring village of Baghchamak, with additional 135 houses. Swiss Solidarity officially accepted the project on March 26th 2004, shortly after the CI Iran-meeting in Rome. The cooperation contract with the Housing Foundation concerning the 135 houses in Pakam was signed on February 14th 2004.
In April 2004, Caritas Switzerland was asked by the local authority for the possibility to take over Gavmurdeh as well which is politically independent, but considered as a part of Baghchamak. Due to the fast preparation of the proposal and the respective submission to Swiss Solidarity a second expansion of the Caritas Network project was requested and officially approved on May 27th 2004. The cooperation contract with the Housing Foundation concerning the 33 houses in Gavmurdeh was signed on April 21st 2004. This makes a total off 433 private houses in three villages: Baghchamak, Pakam and Gavmurdeh.
In the meantime Swiss and Iranian experts worked out the standard for the reconstruction project with the conclusion to go for the reinforced concrete solution. Although this is in line with the Code 2800 (which gives the basic guidelines for construction in Iran), the standard did not follow the advice of the government and therefore needed a special permission from the National Technical Office, which is a part of the National Housing Foundation. After a range of meetings and discussions, the standard with all its volume was accepted in written on April 24th 2004, which gave the green light for its implementation.
3.1.2. The irrigation system:
The irrigation system in all three villages was partly destroyed and mainly covered by rubble and therefore blocked. As the dates form the principal income of the region, the functioning of the irrigation system, which has to provide water for the plantation from latest April on, is essential for the people of Bam to become economically independent again after the earthquake.
For the cleaning of the canals as well as the building sites, Caritas distributed tools (wheelbarrows, shovels and picks; 400 pieces each) to families included in the programme. In a remarkable self-initiative, villagers started to clean the irrigation system and made it run from April on again, right in time for the watering of the date-trees. As the villages themselves did the minor repair, which was necessary, some money could be saved which will most likely be invested in the reparation of the water pumps that are located at the main distribution points going to all three villages.
3.1.3. Formulation of contracts:
The contract with the enterprises: The contract, which comprises all in all 24 pages, is based on an Iranian contract for construction orders done by the Iranian government. It was adapted to the needs and basic standards of Caritas Switzerland, put the focus on a clear and transparent exit strategy and tried to respect both parties and their interests as much as possible. The legal department of the Housing Foundation then checked the draft.
The contract with the beneficiary: Every building lot is supposed to get an official, legal permission for reconstruction from the Housing Foundation. At the same time this is the precondition for the acceptance into the reconstruction programme. After having received this booklet, Caritas Switzerland signs a contract with the Shohra (village representatives) and the respective beneficiary with the following main points:
§ The beneficiary must be a victim of the earthquake of December 2003 and was at that time the legal private owner of the house.
§ The beneficiary does not have the right to deviate from the building specification without the approval of the architect of Caritas.
§ Caritas undertakes to finance the predetermined material and labour costs to the enterprise chosen by Caritas.
§ The beneficiary accepts the binding obligation of actively help for free during the whole building process of his/her house.