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Pakistani military engineers focus on learning earthquake resistant constructions techniques. Photo credit: Kaukab Jhumra Smith/USAID

Military Engineers Learn More On Quake Resistant Reconstructions

Islamabad - A USAID-funded partner organization is helping train 600 Pakistani military engineers to assess the severity of earthquake damage to buildings and promote earthquake-resistant construction techniques. In a series of three-day workshops in Shinkiari, Northwest Frontier Province and Muzafferabad, Kashmir, Pakistan military engineers learn to assess damaged structures, identify safe and unsafe building locations and help people build back strong houses in areas affected by the October 8 earthquake.

To support the government of Pakistan in earthquake-resistant reconstruction, USAID funded the National Society for Earthquake Technology-Nepal (NSET) to train local NGOs, engineers, masons and carpenters in safe-building practices and to prepare public education materials. As part of its work, NSET is sharing its expertise with Pakistani military engineers.

The workshops are run through the combined efforts of NSET, UN-Habitat and Emergency Architects. Military engineers learn to categorize degrees of damage to load-bearing walls, corners, beams and roofs to determine which damage is repairable. This will assist the engineers as they conduct assessments of the severity of earthquake damage to homes to determine the amount of government compensation to families. In many remote areas, the military will also be required to inspect homes being rebuilt to ensure compliance with government safety guidelines.

At the first Shinkiari workshop, 81 military engineers who had spent months after the earthquake building emergency shelters and clearing landslides for the delivery of relief supplies now filled a school auditorium to prepare for their part in reconstruction.

Waqas Hanif, project manager for rural housing reconstruction for the government's Earthquake Reconstruction and Rehabilitation Authority, said the military is well-placed to conduct assessments because of its technical expertise and ability to mobilize quickly. "It is a great service that the Pakistan military is doing for the government," Hanif said.

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.