ISLAMABAD, Feb 6: Reconstruction work in the quake-hit areas is expected to start in the third week of next month, Chairman Earthquake Reconstruction and Rehabilitation Authority (Erra) Lt Gen Mohammad Zubair said here on Monday.

Addressing a Rural Housing Reconstruction Conference organized by the Erra, he said 400,154 housing units destroyed or damaged in both Azad Jammu and Kashmir and the NWFP and 88 per cent of affected housing units are in rural areas.

He said the houses would be re-build with easily-accessible materials.

He said that the authority would ensure utilization of quality goods and material during the reconstruction process in a 28,000sq-km affected area.

He pointed out that the overall area directly affected by the quake was equal to the size of the Netherlands and Belgium put together. A total of 25 Tehsils and over 4,000 village clusters in nine districts were affected.

He said the sheer size of the affected area and difficult terrain means a colossal administrative and implementation challenge.

He said that the authority would put in place a mechanism to ensure that the housing designs were uniform and consistent across the board, and that the housing solution offered by a multitude of financing and implementing bodies were seismically sensitized and did not create any social inequities.

Mr Zubair said that the World Bank, the Federal Relief Commission and NGOs were entrusted with the task to provide relief to the affected people.

He said this gigantic task could only be completed with the full partnership of civil entities to rehabilitate hundreds of thousands of shelterless people.

He said reconstruction will conform to appropriate safety, quality, technological solution and environmental standards, including those in consideration of seismic activity in the region.

He said reconstruction of over 400,000 housing units in difficult terrain is a huge task, but we have to ensure higher construction standards.

Mr Zubair said while the devastating earthquake caused unimaginable damages in the NWFP and Azad Kashmir it triggered a united response throughout the country to help rescue and relief operations.

He said: “We have successfully managed the first two phases of rescue and relief work, but the most challenging and time-intensive tasks are yet to take off. He said it is an opportunity to re-build the area in a better way.

Advisor to Prime Minister on Finance Dr Salman Shah said: “A comprehensive strategy has been evolved for the early reconstruction and rehabilitation of quake-affected people in the NWFP and Azad Kashmir.”

He said with the help of the international community resources have been mobilized for the completion of this gigantic task.

Dr Salman Shah said that a comprehensive monitoring and evaluation system has been evolved to ensure transparency in the reconstruction of devastated infrastructure, communication network, houses, education and health system in the quake-stricken areas of both the NWFP and AJK.

He urged the need to accelerate the delivery of services and reconstruction material in the quake-hit areas.

He said the devastated houses would be reconstructed on modern quake-resistance technology and according to the requirement of the area.

Dr Shah said the actual reconstruction programme should be handed over to the donors so that they could proceed further in the reconstruction process.

He said that the World Bank had committed a package of one billion dollars, out of which 288 million dollars had been earmarked for the reconstruction process.

He said the reconstruction process should be started with the help of local bodies’ representatives.