50 more houses handed over to Herat earthquake survivors

HERAT CITY (Pajhwok): Another 50 houses have been constructed and handed over to earthquake-affected people in the Zinda Jan district of western Herat province, an official said on Wednesday.

Maulvi Nisar Ahmad, spokesman for Herat governor, told Pajhwok Afghan News the houses consumed more than 40 million afghanis provided by influential figures from Baghlan province.

He said the newly constructed houses were handed over to quake survivors of Naib Rafi village of Zinda Jan district.

At the same time, Maulvi Ahmadullah Muttaqi, spokesperson for the Earthquake Relief Commission and director of the Information and Cultural Department, said each house has two rooms, a toilet, a kitchen, a veranda and two mosques had also been constructed in the village.

Construction work on some more houses for quake-affected people has been underway in other areas as well, he informed.

According to him, construction work on houses for quake-affected people of Gulan district will be launched in near future.

Meanwhile, Maulvi Shamsuddin, a resident of Baghlan and in charge of construction of these houses, said they had come to Herat to assist the survivors. When they visited the area, local people demanded shelter for themselves, he added.

He said the total cost on the construction of houses and two mosques reached 41 million afghanis raised by local residents.

Residents of these villages were happy over the construction of the houses and hoped their shelter problem would be resolved.

Two months ago, more than 2,500 people, including children and women, lost their lives and thousands were injured in a series of earthquakes in Herat.

kk/ma