press releases
USAID Begins First Post-Relief Project - $1.5 Million Rubble Removal Project In Muzaffarabad
04/08/2006
Muzaffarabad – The United States Agency for International Development (USAID) launched its first post-earthquake-relief project today, a $1.5 million program that will use heavy machinery and employ Muzaffarabad residents to remove 16 million cubic feet of rubble from the city’s central business district. The Earthquake Rehabilitation and Reconstruction Authority (ERRA) and the Municipal Authorities identified the project as an immediate priority. USAID-funded partner International Organization for Migration (IOM) will implement the project.
"We are very proud to mark the continuing commitment of the United States to Pakistan by inaugurating our first post-relief project today in Muzaffarabad," said U.S. Ambassador to Pakistan Ryan C. Crocker from Islamabad. "We are confident that our efforts will assist this great city and its residents of remarkable resilience in moving forward toward re-establishing vibrant communities and re-building thriving businesses."
The rubble will be removed from the old central city and recycled with the help of equipment from local businesses and work teams employing more than 300 local residents. The teams, comprised of skilled and unskilled labor, will salvage items of value, such as windows and door-frames, from damaged buildings and will demolish irreparable structures.
The rubble removal work to be completed under this grant is the first step of an integrated rubble removal strategy for Muzafferabad. Under the new plan, rubble will be moved to staging areas where it can be further subdivided and recycled into gravel and new concrete. Remaining rubble will then be moved to safe landfill areas. At present, much of the rubble has been privately dumped on the banks of the Neelum and Jhelum rivers, which is causing structural and ecological problems.
The IOM will manage the project, coordinating with the federal, district and local authorities, the Army Corps of Engineers and the private sector.
This USAID program supplements ongoing clearance work by the Muzaffarabad municipal authority. Although the municipal authority’s team of 120 workers and 10 supervisors has cleared three million cubic feet of rubble since October without the help of machinery, another 67 million cubic feet remain to be cleared.
"We are very happy that USAID has offered to help us. They are supporting us like friends to solve our problem of debris removal," said Zahid Amin, Administrator Municipal Corporation Muzaffarabad. "The residents of Muzafferabad are very grateful and happy. This is the beginning of the rebuilding of our city."
Jonathan Addleton, USAID’s Mission Director in Pakistan, added, "This coordinated plan demonstrates cooperation between ERRA, the Municipal Authority, and the United States, working together to generate solutions to resolve large and difficult problems."
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.