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Mohammed Bashir of Kaleri village in Bagh District has worked as a carpenter for 25 years.

USAID Teaches Construction Techniques

Islamabad – In response to the need for earthquake-resistant building practices, the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) has funded a series of four-day workshops in Bagh District aimed at training masons and carpenters in safe building practices. Nearly 300 craftsmen across six union councils have been trained thus far in earthquake-resistant design.

As reconstruction nears, increasing awareness of earthquake-resistant building practices grows critical. Before the earthquake struck Bagh District in northern Pakistan on October 8, few residents knew their homes sat on unsafe ground. They rarely included structural bracing for walls and roofs and often erected walls from round, uncut stones packed with mud. These structures tumbled easily when the earth shook. Masons themselves rarely reinforced stone structures and carpenters did not fortify timber joints. Large concrete buildings employed inadequate steel support. This lack of awareness of sound building practices contributed to more than 8,100 deaths in the district alone.

"Earthquakes don’t kill people," explained Kubilay Hicyilmaz, an earthquake engineer working for USAID partner GOAL. "Buildings kill people."

Many of the newly trained craftsmen are lending their new skills to USAID programs for building transitional housing and classrooms. Implemented by USAID partner GOAL, the workshops include morning seminars where workers critique photos of local structures and hands-on afternoon exercises where they recreate what they learned.

Craftsmen first learn the causes of earthquakes, then how to select the proper site for a home and how to safely align a structure on that site. The second day of the workshop is devoted to timber construction, the third to masonry and the fourth to reinforced concrete construction. This continuum ensures that workers develop a well-rounded understanding of safe practices.

Those who complete all four days receive a certificate and 1,000 rupees, slightly above prevailing daily wage. Host communities offer trainers a large, flat site with visibility from a main road so that earthquake-safe models erected during the workshops remain standing for others to study. USAID has also sponsored six one-day workshops for self-builders and contractors and master workshops for NGOs to offer similar training.

M. Saqlain Baig, a mason from Nariola, found the hands-on practice the most valuable. "Doing it yourself is different from simply listening to a lecture," Baig said. "We’ve learned a lot of new techniques to make stronger houses for this area."

The United States, through USAID, is providing more than $1.5 billion in development assistance to Pakistan over the next five years to improve education, health, governance and economic growth. In addition, the United States has pledged a total of $510 million in earthquake relief and reconstruction efforts to assist the people of Pakistan and to support Pakistani government relief and reconstruction efforts.