The devastating floods in July last year caused country wide wreckage of precious farmlands. Millions of people were rendered homeless with no food and shelter. The rehabilitation process has been quite slow from then onwards. The floods damaged nearly two million homes. According to World Bank estimates the floods have caused $10 billion dollars worth of damage to the infrastructure of the country. Although the government is helping flood victims rebuild their homes, there still thousands of people who have lost everything and cannot afford to rebuild their homes and are still living in flood relief camps. The government lacks funds to bridge the gap between demand and supply of low cost housing.The need of the hour is cheap and sustainable housing for the flood victims.
Earth Homes is a project inititated by John Spiers of the International Centre for Sustainable Development. Its an innovative building system that is built from compressed earth bricks and has features such as passive solar heating, rain water collection and distribution system and solar power. Spiers has partnered with Baber Ali Foundation, a Lahore based charitable organization to set up a social enterprise that will build zero energy affordable housing.
"The enterprise is designed to make a profit so it can continue without outside donations; the company will build the houses and use the profits to build more houses for other needy families." (Gazette) Five model homes would be created initially with the help of local workers to teach them the techniques used in the building process. These homes will be constructed in Syedwala, a town 70 miles southwest of Lahore in Pakistan's Punjab province. The village is expected to be made a centre of learning and innovation and would be used as a model for country wide setup.
"Earth Homes use solar energy to meet the electrical needs of the homeowner and include solar ovens that can be used to cook meals or bake on sunny days. The composting toilets use little water and turn bathroom and kitchen waste into compost for outside gardens, which in turn provide the homeowner with food. The systems are designed to withstand storms and continue operating even if surrounding third-party infrastructure breaks down.The houses will have one or two bedrooms and range in size from 600 to 800 square feet. A basic model would likely cost between $5000 and $10,000." (Gazette)
The completion date for five model homes is June 30 , 2011.
Some of the questions that come to mind are:
Can the cost of these Earth Homes be further reduced?
The costs are still too high for people who have lost everything in floods. Would the
government provide the requisite subsidy for building these homes on a wide scale?
- Is the construction period required for these homes suitable enough to match the government targets of providing low cost housing in a short period of time?
Links
- http://www.gazette.net/stories/03162011/gaitnew191456_32533.php
- http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/asia/pakistan/8196341/Pakistan-floods-No-food-no-homes-no-help.html
- http://www.solarcities.org/pakistanproject.html
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