The Earthquake Reconstruction and Rehabilitation Authority (Erra) has sought assistance from the United Nations Human Settlements Programme (UN-Habitat) to carry out technical assessments of non-compliant houses in the earthquake affected region.
"Although majority of people have successfully adopted the Erra's safety techniques but approximately 20 percent of the houses have not been passed by the Erra inspection teams and are deemed non-compliant," sources in the UN-Habitat said on Tuesday. "Erra has introduced additional support for households to help them rebuild the seismic resistant houses in affected areas of Azad Jammu and Kashmir," sources added. UN-Habitat engineers would carry out joint inspections with the Erra inspection teams on houses, which have been declared non-compliant.
"However, houses that have not been constructed as per guidelines chalked out by the Erra but are earthquake resistant may now pass inspection subject to the documentation and processing of their cases," sources said.
Meanwhile, those victims whose houses have failed inspection but can be remedied through relatively inexpensive construction techniques would be provided advice to make their houses earthquake resistant. They will also once again become eligible to receive the Erra rural housing financial assistance.