Preparing
new houses for occupation in the Maldives has required some
out-of the-box thinking – quite literally. Having overcome
the many problems involved in importing all the building materials
into the Maldives – an archipelago of 1,200 tiny islands
– the International Federation's construction teams faced
a final hurdle: how to connect finished houses on the island
of Kudahuvadhoo to the electricity grid.
The story of how the lights finally got switched on has had
many twists and turns. It illustrates how challenging the reconstruction
has been helps answer the question: "Why has it taken so
long to rebuild?"
Mick Wardick, a construction delegate, takes up the story: "The
houses were ready for handover on time back in August and we
had hoped that the electricity cables would be installed by
the state electric company by the start of Ramadan, back in
September. Logistical problems prevented this, but we finally
got everything ready by early November.
"Then the contractor went bankrupt and at the same time
the external boxes they had supplied to hold the electricity
meters were not certified by the electricity company as moisture-proof.
As you can imagine, that's an important point in a country which
is 99 per cent sea and with a high point of only two metres
above sea level. Not to mention the torrential rain that sometimes
falls here.”
The construction team was bitterly disappointed. A multi-million
dollar programme delayed by a minor detail. Meanwhile, hundreds
of people were living in cramped, wooden shelters, often six
to a room, with no cooking or toilet facilities, just metres
away from inviting new houses.
"We first took the decision to hand over the keys to the
families so that they could start moving their possessions,
but they couldn’t move in fully without water and electricity,"
continues Mick. "It wouldn’t have been safe or hygienic,
and besides we had made a commitment that they would move into
fully-serviced houses, as other people have on other islands."
The situation was discussed at length with the Island Development
Committee. Then, at one meeting, a local boat builder came up
with a solution. "He told us he could easily make fibre-glass
boxes for under a hundred US dollars each, supplied and fitted.
It was the perfect solution. He had all the materials and was
using local labour, so we were very happy to give the project
the go-ahead, after approval from the electricity company,"
says Mick.
Eighteen families have now moved in, with the rest expecting
to have moved in by 26 December, two years to the day which
saw their homes on the nearby island of Gemendhoo hurled into
the sea. (www.ifrc.org/Docs/News/06/06063001/index.asp)
The International Federation's team is continuing with phase
two of the project, which will see a further 71 houses (12 funded
directly by the Maldives government), ready for occupation by
April. "Rest assured, we will make sure the electricity
is sorted out well in advance", smiles Mick.
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Abandoned
house on Gemendhoo island in the Maldives. All 500 residents
have been moved to temporary shelter on nearby Kudahuvadhoo
island and will shortly move to permanent houses there.
(p15258)
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Phase
2 of 121 houses being built on Kudahuvadhoo Island, the
Maldives. Phase one houses (the houses in the background)
are being moved into this week, the second anniversary
of the tsunami. (p15259)
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Weatherproof
meter boxes being made...
(p15260) |
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... and installed on International Federation-built houses
inKudahuvadhoo Island, Maldives. (p15261)
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News
