SOA for Reconstruction in Bam / Iran Cordaid part, February 2004

Nominal data

Organisation: Cordaid, P.O. Box 16440, 2500 BK The Hague, The Netherlands Responsible Programme Officer: Wim Piels, tel. +31.70.3136667, fax +31.70.3136661, mobile phone +31.6.10179629, e-mail [email protected] Project manager in the country of operation: Mr. Dirk van Kolfschoten (at present) / Mr. Henk Meyer (from 7 March 04 till end of programme), tel. +98.912.2145479, e-mail [email protected] Location of the project: Iran, Kerman Province, 4 villages neighbouring to Bam: Nartije, Tamick, Cheltokhm and Zeidanbad. Title of the project: Multi-aspect reconstruction programme Bam earthquake Main components:  Reconstruction 300 houses  Training 65 local builders in earthquake safe construction methods  Repair local infrastructure: date irrigation channels, school, clinic, date cooling house, etc.  Village employment: cleaning re-construction sites, irrigation-channels, cleaning re-useable bricks, etc. Starting date: 1 February 2004 Project duration: 8 months. Financing request Total budget of the project € 2,497,605 Contribution Cordaid € 800,000 Total amount requested from other donors in Caritas Network € 1,697,605 (More pledges would be welcome and would result in more reconstructed houses and further strengthened local economy.) TABLE OF CONTENT

NOMINAL DATA...... 1 1 MAPS OF THE PROJECT AREA...... 3 2 CONTEXT...... 4 2.1 The earthquake and its consequences...... 4 2.2 Risks/Assumptions...... 4 3 ASSESSMENT...... 4 3.1 Needs assessment...... 4 3.2 The Local Authorities...... 6 3.3 Beneficiary selection...... 6 3.4 Size and type of houses...... 7 4 THE PROJECT...... 8 4.1 Overall objective/approach...... 8 4.2 Specific objectives...... 9 4.3 Results per specific objective...... 9 4.4 Activities per specific objective...... 10 4.5 Time table...... 10 4.6 Monitoring and evaluation...... 11 5 SPECIFIC CONSIDERATIONS...... 11 5.1 Co-ordination...... 11 5.2 Gender...... 11 5.3 Exit strategy...... 11 5.4 Local economy...... 12 5.5 Sphere standards...... 12 5.6 Security...... 12 6 CORDAID IN IRAN...... 12 6.1 Project staff...... 12 6.2 Financial management system...... 13 7 BUDGET: SEE ANNEX...... 13 8 EXAMPLE HOUSE FLOOR PLANS...... 14

Page 2 1 Maps of the project area The earthquake area:

Caritas-Cordaid reconstruction project will take place in the villages of: Nartije, Tamick, Cheltokhm and Zeidanbad. All about 1 to 3 km apart, North-West of Esfikan.

Page 3 Zeidanbad Cheltokhm Tamick

Nartije

Page 4 2 Context

2.1 The earthquake and its consequences On 26 December 2003 an earthquake of magnitude 6.7 struck the city of Bam, Kerman Province in South-eastern Iran. The earthquake caused the death of an estimated 43,000 people in Bam and surrounding villages, and also quite some livestock. 30,000 persons got injured, of whom 10,000 were medically evacuated to other parts of Iran. 80% of the city of Bam (used to have 90,000 inhabitants) is completely destroyed. Villages within a range of some 15 km outside Bam as well. In total 20 villages around Bam (upto 30 km) have been severely affected. 70,000 persons are homeless. 200,000 persons affected. Most schools and health centres damaged. Also a famous tourist attraction and income earner of the city, the massive 2000-year-old fortress that sits on a cliff near the city and attracts thousands of tourists each year, has been heavily damaged.

One week after the quake, electricity was functioning again on most of the main lines. The piped water reached again to most areas of the city and surrounding villages. Obviously connections to smaller streets and later on, when houses get reconstructed, the house-connections, still need to be done.

Irrigation canals (mostly underground) for the date palms, need substantial repairs in various places.

Major parts of the population that lived in the city meanwhile left for the villages around. Economy in the city is dead. The people who remained in the city, in tents put up on the street, as there is no place for a tent between the rubble, need to be shifted to the outskirts of the city, in order to clean the sites, before any reconstruction in the city can start. The population in the villages is living in tents, close to their former house. They will not move from their own site, as they need to take care of their date trees there. In some villages some houses are repairable, but for the moment the people do not trust to live in their house (with many cracks) and live in tents, close to their house.

2.2 Risks/Assumptions A shortage of machinery for clearing the major rubble may cause a delay in clearing their site before reconstruction can start. This might cause people to remain a longer time in a tent, or stay with relatives during part of the hot season (which starts in the end of April), before they can live in an own house again. Increased building activities may also cause an increase in building material prices.

3 Assessment

3.1 Needs assessment A needs assessment was done during the first two weeks of January 2004 by a Caritas team consisting of staff from the Catholic Church in Tehran, Caritas Austria and Cordaid. The identification took place in continuous discussion with both village Page 5 leaders, elders and villagers in the concerning villages. The identification mission report was published to the Caritas Network in the ERST update of 11 January 2004 (additional copies available on request). The main conclusion was that the city population would still live in tents and temporary shelter for many months, whereas the village population would need reconstruction efforts immediately. These reconstruction needs have several aspects: a) assistance to survive (food, non-food items, income) until the next date harvest (September 2004) b) reconstruction of houses, and connection to water and electricity c) reconstruction of essential elements for the economy: irrigation channels for the date trees, local cooling houses, etcc d) reconstruction of social infrastructure: school, clinic, etc.

In the 4 villages allocated to Caritas Cordaid (Nartije, Tamick, Cheltokhm and Zeidanbad) Caritas Iran will work on section a): food and non-food items, complementary to the efforts of the Iranian Red Crescent. Cordaid will work on the a)-income element and on elements b), c), and d).

3.1.1 The traditional way of building in Bam The Cordaid architect gave his attention to a few hundred destroyed houses in Bam and surrounding villages. Most houses had walls of a thickness of 30 to 60 cm made out of burnt or not-burnt bricks. Often only the outside layer of bricks are burnt bricks. The roofs were sometimes constructed of steel beams put (but not anchored) on the walls, with in between the beams blocks (not burnt) or hollow blocks, covered with a layer of clay. As of almost all roofs the roof-beams were not anchored in the wall, the beams shifted all over the place, with as a consequence the collapse of the house. Other houses (more in the villages than in town) had dome shaped roofs made from clay-bricks, covered with loose clay; thickness 20 to 25 cm. A third type of houses, famous in Bam, but of which not much is left over, are the very traditional houses fully constructed out of clay, with walls of not-burnt clay- blocks with a thickness of 60-80 cm. These walls carried a dome-shape roof of un- burnt clay blocks, covered with a layer of clay, mixed with sand, with a total thickness of 50 – 75 cm. These very cool houses completely collapsed, as these houses had no stiffness at all. Most village houses had a ground surface between 30 and 40 sqm. Some houses reached up to 60 sqm.

In Bam city buildings were mostly single story, but also some double story buildings were existing. In the villages around Bam only singly floor buildings were existing.

The Cordaid architect also saw some 20 to 30 houses in Bam that did not collapse. These were mostly houses with concrete columns and steel beams and also houses with steel columns and steel beams. The houses that did not collapse all had a proper anchoring of roof beams and walls to the steel frame or concrete, and had proper wind-bracing. The wind-bracing and anchoring guaranteed the needed stiffness that makes that a house will not collapse during an earthquake. In the worst case such a house would come to hang over a bit after a quake, but would not collapse, giving ample room to the inhabitants to leave the house.

Page 6 Houses not built with steel or concrete skeleton and without wind-bracing and anchoring, (almost) all collapsed.

3.2 The Local Authorities There are two major officially mandated regulating and coordinating actors for reconstruction in the villages where Caritas-Cordaid will implement its reconstruction programme: a) The Housing Foundation of the Islamic Republic of Iran: issuing project agreements and building permits to Caritas-Cordaid. b) The Yazd Housing Committee: responsible for coordinating the clearing and subsequent reconstruction activities in the area of “our” villages

3.3 Beneficiary selection After the needs assessment beneficiary selection discussions (for house reconstruction) were held between various relevant Iranian Government Officials and Caritas-Cordaid staff. Initially it was decided that only the most vulnerable families should be assisted by Caritas: by an updated list of already known “destitute families”. Later on, when some more assistance seemed to be coming in, the Iranian local authorities decided that all families with destroyed houses (all of them actually being very poor) should be assisted. The families on the lists of “destitute families” would be assisted by the Imam Khomeini Committee, and the others by Caritas. The Housing Foundation issued an agreement to Caritas-Cordaid to implement a reconstruction project in the villages of Nartije, Tamick, Cheltokhm and Zeidanbad, and for the following number of beneficiaries (average of 5 persons per family):

 House reconstruction: for some 300 families (around 1500 persons) of the total of of the 406 families of the villages of Nartije, Tamick, Cheltokhm and Zeidanbad. Village Total nr. of Approximate number of Number of ‘destitute’ families to be families that will receive families that will receive assisted house reconstruction house reconstruction assistance from Caritas- assistance from the Imam Cordaid Khomeini committee Nartije 181 136 45 Tamick 49 35 14 Cheltokhm 111 76 35 Zeidanbad 65 49 16 Total 406 296 110 Most houses in these villages used to be between 25 and 40 sqm. Caritas –Cordaid and other agencies intend to construct only 60 sqm houses for families of four or more persons. Families of 1-3 persons would then get assistance for a 40 sqm house (if permitted by the Housing Foundation). This would probably leat to at least for 67% of the houses to be of 40 sqm. And 33% of 60 sqm.

Page 7 In these four villages further beneficiaries of the reconstruction project will be:  Training: 65 local builders (for learning improved building techniques) and 300 family members (for awareness on most relevant issues for earthquake safe houses).  Repair local infrastructure: All (around) 406 families of Nartije, Tamick, Cheltokhm and Zeidanbad

 Village employment programme: All (around) 406 families of Nartije, Tamick, Cheltokhm and Zeidanbad.

3.4 Size and type of houses

3.4.1 Basics only The size and type of houses that need to be constructed are still subject of discussion between the various relevant Iranian Government Officials and Caritas-Cordaid staff. The actor from whom we are dependent for receiving the building permit, the Housing Foundation of the Islamic Republic of Iran, pushes for houses to be built with a steel frame (elements bolted together) and of 60 sqm for each house. Caritas- Cordaid should only supply a very basic house (i.e. foundation, steelframe, walls, roof, rough floor), as all families with damaged houses will also receive some government assistance, from which the families are enabled to do all the finishing work (work that they can do by self help) themselves: plastering, placing of kitchen, making a bathroom, etc. Families will also decide themselves upon the place of the thinner inner walls, that make the separation between living room, bedroom, kitchen, bathroom. Cordaid approves of the concept of putting only a very basic house, leaving the finishing elements to the beneficiaries themselves (from their government grants that will be issued).

3.4.2 Structure: Steelframe with proper wind-bracing and anchoring Cordaid goes along in the Housing Foundations wish to see a steel frame with proper wind-bracing and anchoring of walls and roof-structure, which is generally accepted as suitable in most major earthquake-prone areas. Steel frames are known and can be locally produced and bolted together in the project area. Putting up steelframes will go fast, does not require watering and will not require very skilled labour.

A Cordaid consultant-architect with experience in earthquake areas, has designed a steelframe (elements to be bolted together) for a house with a 40 sqm floor-area, based upon the local practices of the people and contractors in project area and based upon earthquake-prone area building practices and standards. The Housing Foundation of the Islamic Republic of Iran has supplied Caritas-Cordaid with the design of a steelframe (elements to be bolted together) for a house with a 60 sqm floor area frame. Cordaid and most other agencies do not want to supply 60 sqm houses to families with only one – three family members, who anyway before the earthquake had mostly houses smaller than 40 sqm. Only for families of 4 or more members do we intend to work on 60 sqm houses.

Page 8 3.4.3 Walls The outside walls will be built from 20 cm thick hollow blocks, which are locally known and produced and only cost EUR 8 per sqm. This is good, strong, and insulating wall material. The walls are fixed to the steelframe with what for a lay person looks like in a kind of “big steel paperclips” as per Housing Foundation design, which also Cordaid deems appropriate. Cordaid will not apply plaster. As the climate does not make this an absolute must, and people may still do this later on themselves with funds they get from the Government. Inside walls are made of a lighter 10 cm hollow block.

3.4.4 Roof The roof will be either joist slab roof, or will have 10 cm insulation-panels on top of the steel beams covered with 6 cm concrete slab (under slight slope and with a layer of tar or bitumen. Further technical drawings, calculations and descriptions of this house are presently being developed and discussed with the Housing Foundation.

Cordaid prefers a panel-concrete-bitumen roof, as this is a light construction with high insulation value, that cannot easily collapse in a next quake: The total roof thickness would be some 32 cm: 10 cm insulation panels on top of the 16 cm steel beams, covered with 5 cm concrete slab. Under the steel beams the people can fix themselves a very light ceiling for giving better show and again an extra layer of insulation (air).

4 The Project

4.1 Overall objective/approach To assist the vulnerable families in the earthquake affected area of Bam to get back to normality (houses, local infrastructure, economy)

4.1.1 Impact indicators At least 285 of the 300 families stay again in own earthquake safe house and earn their own income/food (at least at a minimal level).

4.1.2 Other projects which contribute to the overall objective The Red Crescent is the main agency dealing with emergency aid distributions. Also various local and international NGOs contribute to this, including also the Catholic Church of Iran. Various agencies help with emergency hospitals and health services. Thousands of temporary shelter units (20 sqm) are being put up by the Government (Ministry of Housing) in the outskirts of the city to give temporary shelter to people, who need to leave their site, as there is no place for putting up a new house there, because the place is full with rubble. The Iranian Government will have a rehabilitation programme for earthquake victims reconstructing their house, consisting of grant/loan money up to a maximum of € 4000 per house (depending on size of family and house), which will be issued in stages (part for foundation, then for walls, etc.). The Government recognises that this will not be enough, and approves of NGOs supporting the families, with the very Page 9 basics only (no plaster, paint, kitchen, bathroom, tiles, etc.). Also the families assisted by Caritas will receive government support and continuing on the basic work done by Caritas will then be able to finish the house themselves. (The Housing Committee of the Government fears that, in case Caritas would supply everything, the differences with families from neighbouring villages, who are not in the programme would become too big.) Caritas Switzerland will implement a similar project (but with some different technical design) in the village of Baghchamak.

4.2 Specific objectives  300 vulnerable families will be assisted in reconstructing their house on their own plot in an earthquake-safe way  65 local builders will learn improved building techniques (earthquake safe). And 300 family members of the families whose house will be reconstructed will be aware of important issues that make their house earthquake safe.  Local infrastructure (school, clinic, date-tree irrigation canals, possibly cooling house for date storage) will function again, for use of all 406 families in the concerning 4 villages.  Some 360 families (of the 406 families) will have earned an income of some EUR 269 per family (average) in the village employment programme.

4.3 Results per specific objective 1. House-reconstruction (around two third of 40 sqm and around one third of 60 sqm) will be done by skilled and trained contractors (tendered out). The type of house follows locally known and Iranian Government approved design and technology. Final details of design and technology are still being discussed between Caritas-Cordaid and the Housing Foundation of the Islamic Republic of Iran. 2. 65 local builders will be trained by Caritas-Cordaid (local) staff or by contracted trainers 3. A village employment scheme will assist the people to earn some income (needed as their “bank-account”, consisting of cooled dates in cool-cells in Bam city, got lost), and will speed up needed activities as clearing sites, etc.. Workgroups will be formed by the village council, that will undertake works that benefits the village society as a whole, at a salary of around € 2.- per person per half day. Individual beneficiaries can earn € 1 per m3 salvaged (hard) bricks in their own plot. 4. Repair of essential local infrastructure, such as irrigation canals (for date trees), school, clinic, date cooling house.

4.3.1 Result indicators 1. Inspection by joint team of Caritas-Cordaid and of Iranian Government officials, to see whether construction was done according to specifications. 2. Tests at the end of the training should prove that builders know the essentials of earthquake safe construction (this contains various aspects in steel construction, foundations and in choice of filling materials / insulation materials and construction techniques.

Page 10 3. Work reports and beneficiary lists with signatures of people who received payments. 4. Inspection by joint team of Caritas-Cordaid and of Iranian Government officials

4.4 Activities per specific objective 1. Discuss and agree with village shura on work-plan for village employment scheme, and start the scheme. 2. Beneficiary selection for the house reconstruction by government officials 3. Beneficiary verification by Caritas-Cordaid together with villages shura 4. Tendering for contractors to be responsible for (re-)construction 5. Construction: i) making trenches: for foundation and floor construction ii) concrete works: beams foundation, slab floor, slab roof construction iii) steel construction: ground beam, columns, ceiling construction, wind bracing, anckers, gosset plats, bolts iv) wall construction: hollow blocks, roof with roof insulation, windows, door frames 6. Training of local builders in improved building techniques. 7. Discuss and agree with village shura and Government officials on repair local infrastructure and prepare detailed plan for this, after which the work can be done.

4.5 Time table Time table: Construction of houses in Nartije, Tamick, Cheltokhm and Zeidanbad Time 2004 FEB MRT APR MAY JUNE Activities Selection of beneficiaries (note) Research for self-help capacity of beneficiaries Training component local builders Clearing of potential construction sites Finalisation discussions on construction methodology Tender research and preparation Tender procedure and awarding of contracts Construction of dwellings Monitor Construction process Monitor Return process Village employment programme Repair village infrastructure Staff Programme manager (expat) 100% Assistant Programme manager (local) 100% 1 architect, 1 Constr.engineer and 1 construction technician 100 % Administrator (expat) 100% Local Administrator 100 % Translator 100 %

full-time assignment Note: After the first selection of potential beneficiaries by the local authorities, Cordaid will untertake a Second screening to match criteria.

Page 11 4.6 Monitoring and evaluation Monitoring will be done by the Caritas-Cordaid team. Evaluation includes also government officials. Construction monitoring (and payment of instalments) goes in phases as per tender documents that are being prepared at the moment. A final evaluation is foreseen. This will be an external evaluation at result, specific objective and overall objective level.

5 Specific considerations

5.1 Co-ordination

5.1.1 National and local (government) authorities Coordination takes place with the Governors Office (Kerman), with (government appointed) designated reconstruction supervisors, with housing department and other municipal authorities in Bam and with the Bafia (Bureau for Alien and Foreign Immigrant Affairs). Cordaid and Caritas Switzerland meanwhile received from the Government a Project Agreement through which it is permitted to implement this project.

5.1.2 Coordination with international humanitarian agencies Coordination takes place with international humanitarian agencies, presently coordinated by the UN.

5.1.3 Coordination with church organisations Coordination takes place with the Catholic Church in Iran, which undertakes convoys to the same needy villages where we work. Caritas-Cordaid has been involved in start up work of the emergency response by the Catholic Church of Iran, through Mr. Gielissen, who worked with the Caritas Iran team in Tehran for three weeks. Continued support in this sense to the efforts done by Caritas Italy towards Caritas Iran, is foreseen and planned. Caritas Iran will propose some candidates for senior staff positions in this reconstruction project, who, in case accepted and proven to be good, may later on be employed by Caritas Iran. Coordination takes also place with Caritas Switzerland, which will reconstruct houses in the village of Baghchamak.

5.2 Gender Especially widows in families without further adults are mostly vulnerable. These widow headed families will get proper attention. Women will be specifically asked for their opinion in choice of house design.

5.3 Exit strategy Once this project is over, some further reconstruction activities may continue. The expectation is that within 1.5 year the reconstruction will be ready, after which the Cordaid team would leave the area.

Page 12 5.4 Local economy The project contributes to restoringt the economy of the village through:  Village employment programme  Restoring the date production and if needed additional cool storage

All materials for the house reconstruction will be purchased in Iran: From outside Bam : steel frames, cement, insulation material (but still from Iran) From Bam : hollow blocks, sand

5.5 Sphere standards Sphere standards for shelter are followed in this project. Among others:  Design is more than the minimum area available per person of average 3.5- 4.5m².  In hot, dry climates: construction must be heavy enough to ensure high thermal capacity, allowing changes in night and day temperatures to cool and heat the interior alternately. Windows should be small. If only plastic sheeting or tents are available, a double-skinned roof with ventilation between the layers to prevent radiant heat transfer should be considered. Alternatively, use of insulation materials should be supported. In a light structure, maximum ventilation is not an objective but should be easily controlled (eg by opening opposite doors) to prevent heating by hot winds and radiation from the surrounding ground, and to prevent sand coming into the shelter. Shade can be gained from surrounding shelters or trees.

5.6 Security The area of Bam has low security risks. There is a known risk of kidnapping and other problems in the mountains around Bam. Night travelling outside the area of Bam is discouraged. There are reports of armed people around the airport area.

6 Cordaid in Iran Cordaid’s mission (the same as the mission of Caritas Internationalis) seeks to encourage and support initiatives that contribute to generating the conditions to enable the most underprivileged sectors to access, manage and enjoy the financial and natural resources in a sustainable fashion and to facilitate a more balanced distribution of opportunities. Within this mission, to respond to emergencies is a priority action.

In Iran Cordaid has been involved with work for Iraqi refugees and in preparatory work with the Catholic Church for setting up an operational Caritas Iran office. Cordaid’s operations in Iran in Bam are foreseen for a period of one and a half years.

Cordaid has undertaken and has been involved in many post-emergency reconstruction programmes (including in earthquake situations) for (re)-construction of houses and local infrastructure and economy, with special attention for the most vulnerable people and groups in the communities. Examples: Kosovo, Turkey, India.

6.1 Project staff The staff involved in the project is as follows: Page 13 Organisation position Status Tasks Cordaid Project manager International Monitoring and responsible for implementing the activities Cordaid 1 Assistant Project National Assisting the Project Manager. Person Manager proposed by Caritas Iran and learning skills from the expatriate Project Manager Cordaid 2 Administrators 1 International Administration 1 National International person: 6 months only. National person proposed by Caritas Iran and learning from the expatriate administrator. Cordaid 1 architect National Construction supervision and inspection and certification of output work of contractors 1 civil engineer Cordaid 1 construction National Logistics / purchase materials technician Cordaid Translator National Translations and secretarial duties Cordaid or Trainers National Training local builders in improved Contracted earthquake safe building techniques. organisation

6.2 Financial management system The administration will be kept in an accounting system (PAM software) and monthly reports will be sent to Cordaid The Hague. An experienced expatriate administrator will train a local administrator for a period of six months. An external financial audit will be done at the end of the project. Donors to the project will receive reports according to their requirements (at least quarterly). General reporting will also be done to the Caritas Network through the Caritas coordination system in Tehran.

7 Budget: see annex

Page 14 8 Example house floor plans Below are some house floor plans as issued by the Housing Foundation of the Islamic Republic of Iran (60 and 40 sqm) and some Cordaid 40 sqm plans (used in discussions with authorities and beneficiaries).

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