KARACHI, Dec 14: The House Building Finance Corporation (HBFC) has assured Gulbahao, an NGO, that houses constructed by it would be promoted.

The Gulbahao chief, Nargis Lateef, informed Dawn on Thursday that her organisation had invented a new low-cost construction material, wastic blocks--from waste plastic and panaflex panels.

A 10x12 ft room would cost around Rs10,000 while a roof on it would cost additional Rs3,000. The NGO has named such structures as ‘Chandi ghar’.

She said that over 35 such houses had been constructed by Gulbahao in the quake-hit Butal village in Mansehra district. She said that houses built by wastic blocks were easy to put up, waterproof, insulated against heat and cold, fireproof, and were insect and termite proof etc.