Two
years on from the catastrophic earthquake that devastated the
city of Bam in the early hours of 26 December 2003, killing
more than 26,000 people and injuring tens of thousands of others,
the spirit of the city’s population remains intact, but
only just.
In those 24 months much has been done to improve the lives and
livelihoods of the survivors but equally, much more remains
to be done. Indeed a walk around a town that was more than 80
percent destroyed still gives the appearance, in places, of
a city recovering just days after the earthquake. Debris still
litters many streets and alleyways. Dust is people’s constant
companion. Most collapsed houses and buildings remain ‘unowned’
with people still preferring to stay in their temporary shelters
rather than take care of reconstruction.
Yet Bam has life and soul in it. After an initial influx of
international aid workers, the task of reconstruction has been
placed in the hands of locals for more than a year now. The
Government of the Islamic Republic of Iran has started construction
projects within the city and in affected villages nearby. The
Iranian Red Crescent Society and the International Federation
are also implementing construction projects in different sectors.
The projects supported by the International Federation, in cooperation
with the Iranian Red Crescent Society and the Ministry of Education,
include the construction of nine schools (five standard, one
'model' school and three special schools for the disabled),
one clinic in Bam and one Road Rescue Base in Kerman Province.
The construction of the first few schools, mainly funded by
the Australian Government as well as the Australian, Netherlands,
Irish, Canadian and German Red Cross Societies, is expected
to be completed by the end of May 2006.
The construction of the second set of schools, which includes
the Arg-e-Bam model school, is expected to be completed by the
end of June 2006. This project, done in cooperation with UNESCO,
covers pre-primary to lower-secondary school classes. The Canadian,
Netherlands, German, Irish, Australian, Sweden, Japanese, Norwegian,
Croatian, Andorra, Danish, Finnish, British, Monaco, Lichtenstein,
New Zealand, Polish and Taiwan Red Cross Societies have provided
financial support. The other three are financially supported
by the Swedish Government, Swedish, Norwegian and Japanese Red
Cross Societies.
Seeing the students moving and playing amid the school construction
sites as well as studying in shelters in one corner of the same
area is uplifting and a sign that life in some ways is back
to normal.
Debris from the school yard has yet to be completely cleared.
Students are housed in prefabricated units so that they can
continue to attend classes until construction is completed.
Pupils are playing during their break time while workers are
working and the safety of the students is a concern. One of
the residents living close to one of these sites was expressing
his happiness at soon having a new school completed: “We
value our life and we’ll be happy to see our kids study
safely without being threatened by the debris.”
Bam is covered with palm trees and palm gardens that once produced
the world’s best dates. Yet, most palm trees died after
the earthquake. The ones that survived are struggling because
of all the construction and associated damage from this. It
is forbidden to cut down any palm trees and those who do not
respect this face a fine of 150 US dollars.
Many of the city’s key buildings such as the main mosque,
hospitals, schools, banks and municipality offices also need
to be rebuilt. This is the responsibility of local authorities,
and in some cases, is supported by other international institutions.
This is the case for the city's ancient citadel which was severely
damaged in the quake. UNESCO registered the 2500-year-old citadel
as a world heritage site and is supporting a long-term project
for its rehabilitation, which will take 15 years.
For the first 18 months after the earthquake, residents were
not allowed to begin rebuilding their houses. However, the regulation
is changed now and the government is providing them with loans
to begin construction on their own lands.
Two years on the spirit of the people of Bam is still intact
but it has suffered several testing times. The ongoing severe
clouds of dust continue to cause breathing difficulties.
The huge domestic and international support provided to the
people of Bam has certainly made a difference but many problems
remain. Dr. Abna, head of the Iranian Red Crescent Kerman branch
notes: “Many national and international organizations
and NGOs have so far been really supportive in terms of relief,
rehabilitation and reconstruction in Bam. However, we still
need further assistance to fully recover from the destruction
caused by the earthquake.”
International attention has shifted from Bam to the tsunami-affected
countries and Pakistan. However, domestically, the Iranian Red
Crescent, with support from the Federation, will keep working
to ensure that the needs of tens of thousands of people affected
by that dreadful catastrophe, two years ago, will continue to
be met in the best possible way.
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The
Arg-e-Bam Model School Complex (picture of the scale model)
is scheduled to be completed in June 2006. (p13674)
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The
Federation and the Iranian Red Crescent are involved in
important reconstruction projects with nine schools planned,
one clinic in Bam and a road rescue base in Kerman Province.
(p13675)
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